The Art of Deception: Shadow Manipulator
by lunalitex
Summary: Having a special affinity for shadow and fire, follow Harry as he deceive everyone into thinking he is an average wizard. He has a secret so big that not even he knows of it. Featuring Neville as BWL, Harry/Daphne pairing, with touches of Harry/luna and Harry/Tracey.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

* * *

Chapter 1

"Freak! Go and get the mail!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen.

Now, when one hears the word freak, he will not reply nor act as such since there is such negative connotation with the word that nobody in the right frame of mind will connect the word to their name. Yet at that very instance, a boy reacted and went out of the door as instructed.

This boy was very unusual. He was dressed in such ill-fitting clothes that he could grow more than twice horizontally and the clothing would still fit him. His wildly out-of-control and jet-black hair had a fringe that almost shrouded his most distinct feature. In another world, you would see the markings of a lightning bolt on his forehead. Yet his forehead was unblemished.

However, all those described were not the main reason why he looked out of place. It was his eyes – the darkest shade of emerald that if you were to stare into it, you would get haunted. He looked totally emotionless, as if he was not capable of feeling like all human does.

As he went out to retrieve the mail from the letter box, Freak's irises were seen revolving around, observing and absorbing everything in the neighbourhood. There on Uncle Vernon's car was an anomaly – an owl was perched on the side mirror, unmoving and staring straight towards him.

An almost inconspicuous frown could be seen on him before it was replaced with the previous mask of coldness. Freak looked down upon the mails he collected and saw one addressed to Harry Potter with a house crest of four different animals, with the word "Hogwarts" marked on it.

The gears in his mind turned the moment he saw the letter and knew that whatever that has happened in the past that were of supernatural occurrences were in fact related to this very letter. Knowing that his uncle would not allow him to keep the letter, he stuffed it inside his oversized clothing and went in to pass the rest of the mails to his uncle and acted his usual behaviour.

Soon, his relatives finished their meals and went about doing their stuff, and Harry immediately took to task cleaning up the mess created especially by his cousin, an oversized teenager who would care less about table manners.

He went back to his room – cupboard under the stairs and opened up the letter gently and cautiously in case his relatives decided to barge into his privacy.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorceress, Chief. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards)_

_Dear Mr Potter,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall,_

_Deputy Headmistress_

The moment he read it, he knew that his life was about to change dramatically.

* * *

It was five minutes to July 31. Harry had a tingling feeling that something was going to happen as soon as the clock chimed twelve. He was turning eleven after all, and after finding out his was a wizard, anything would be possible.

Harry had not replied to the letter because he knew that he needed someone to come down and see for themselves the living conditions he was in. Hopefully, it would be a powerful witch or wizard who could threaten the hell out of his relatives so much so that they would not slave him around anymore. Or maybe, if he was rich enough, he could just not return to this accursed place, finding a home for himself somewhere else. Regardless, Harry needed someone down as well to bring him along, explaining to him how to get to the Wizarding World which apparently was hidden well since he had not heard heads nor tails about it before in his entire eleven years of life.

The minute-hand ticked. Now it was just a mere four minutes. Harry had never celebrated his birthday before in his past ten years living at his relatives' house. His relatives hated him to the core, calling him all kinds of nasty names like freak, monster or demon. In his heart, he should be in anguish and sadness for being named such derogatory terms by his only known closest family members yet he did not. He merely took it in stride, feeling at times proud of being a monster or demon since that would mean his relatives were afraid of him when he trained on his power – magic in this case.

Yet another minute passed. He was feeling very anxious now. He could feel the magic in his body, more so in his blood thrashing about wildly, untamed. He could not wait to unleash the devil on his relatives, enjoying those moments hearing them scream out in pain! Harry cackled devilishly, rubbing his hand and plotting his revenge for the abusive ten years when he was just a child.

Two minutes left. There was a bright flash seen outside his room. A distant rumble could be heard. A thunderstorm was coming. A second flash, and a boom followed instantaneously after it. It was accompanied by a scream on the second floor. A discord of shuffling and creaking sound could be heard.

One minute to midnight. There was an evil gleam on Harry. His mind now concentrated fully on the clock. He could see through the darkness in his "room". His emerald green eyes glowing eerily.

BOOM! The whole house shook. A second BOOM followed and the Dursleys could be heard running down the house from their room. Vernon was holding on to a shotgun while Petunia, Harry's aunt could be seen cuddling and protecting their son, Dudley.

At the next moment, the door flew opened, broken from its hinges. Lightning flashed, showing the silhouette of a gigantic man. He was about seven feet tall, with a body that was as wide as that of the door. Vernon gulped in fear at the person… no monster in front. Water could be seen flowing down the fat youngster's legs, forming a pool of yellow on the floor.

The "giant" took a step and another before entering the house, squeezing through the door. He had a long bushy beard and was holding onto a pink umbrella.

"Sorry fer the door. 'Ello there 'arry," the giant spoke to Harry in quite an amiable way, contrary to his intimidating appearance," I'll be bringin' yer ter Diagon Alley ter get yer stuff!"

"NO! He won't be following you freaks! I won't stand here allowing you to act as if you owned this place, as if you owned him!" Vernon bellowed loudly, pointing his shotgun towards the giant. He turned off the safety, cocked and was about to pull the trigger when he realised even with his strength, he could not push that last bit of trigger to fire off the shot.

Vernon realised he was falling backwards. He had no idea what happened and was trying to balance himself, yet in futile. He could only stare into space as he fell.

"You! You monsters! You killed him! My dear husband!" Petunia screamed like a banshee, running towards Vernon.

"That was a full body bind curse. It'll wear off in a few 'ours time. No worries there young lady!" Hagrid bellowed.

During that interval, Harry made use of his chance and unlocked the door to his room using wandless magic, went off with the giant and leaving the Dursleys behind, hopefully forever.

Outside Number four, Privet Drive was a motorbike. It was weird seeing such a big man on it.

'_It's all magic. Everything is possible,' Harry thought._

"Come on! We don' have all day 'arry! I'm Hagrid by the way."

Jolted out of his thoughts, Harry replied suavely," Pleased to make your acquaintance Hagrid. Thank you for coming to pick me up on such a short notice."

Harry then went onto the sidecar, buckled up before Hagrid started the motorbike and went off to Diagon Alley in the most magical way – by flying.

* * *

As they reached a most peculiar pub and inn in London – the Leaky Cauldron as could be seen on the sign overhead the place, Hagrid landed and parked his bike. Harry went along with Hagrid into the building.

The moment Harry entered, he could feel a shiver in his body. He regarded it as being in touch with magic much denser than his past accommodation for the first time in his life. He felt joy for being in a place where nobody cared nor gave him any second glance at all. But best of all, he felt free here without being shackled by his relatives!

He looked around, taking note as he walked past the pub into a corridor. People here were wearing robes that were totally out of fashion in muggle twentieth century.

'_Wizards' dress code I guess. I have got to learn more about Wizarding Customs and Etiquette,'_ Harry mused to himself as he wanted to fit in as much as possible into this society for here is where he belong.

As they neared a wall of brick in front, Hagrid took out his umbrella and tapped on the wall in a seemingly random motion. The wall soon gave way, folding by itself to open up an entire town behind.

It was dawn and shop keepers could be seen busying themselves opening up the shops. The whole street was quite deserted for it was still quite early at this time. Harry let his curiosity out of the bag as he looked around, keeping close to Hagrid and taking note of all the magical shops for the first time. There were plenty of things he had not seen before such as flying brooms, potions and many more!

As they reached their destination, Harry could see that they were before a majestic white building with a sign '_Gringotts, Wizarding Bank'_ overhead. They entered and Harry could see rows upon rows of creatures working. They had hideous-looking face, ears and noses out of proportion with the rest of their features. Being Harry, he asked Hagrid what creatures are they.

"These are goblins. Nasty lil creatures they are. If yer are not careful enough, yer could get yerself tortured with a fate worse than death." Hagrid whispered to Harry.

As they reached the teller, Hagrid gave the key for Harry's trust vault. Harry immediately frowned and asked in polite, "Hagrid, may I inquire as to why the key to my vault is in your hands?"

"OH!" Hagrid replied, waving his hand. "This ain't kept by me. I got it from 'eadmaster Dumbledore. Good man he is an' a powerful wizard I say."

Harry kept his façade at this moment, feeling a turmoil internally as to why somebody has his key without him knowing. It was his personal property and he decided to find out and resolve this matter as soon as possible.

"Alright Hagrid. I believe you but I shall be keeping the key from now on."

With a nod of his head, they followed another goblin called upon by the teller onto a cart. The cart moved down the dark mines at quite a fast velocity. Hagrid could be seen getting sick from the motion. As they reached the vault, the goblin inserted the key and twisted it. There were sounds of an internal mechanism unlocking itself behind the door.

Hagrid decided to stay outside and wait for Harry while he entered his vault and to say that he was shocked was an understatement. He was rich as seen by the heaps of gold, silver and bronze coins in his vault. He then asked the goblin for how much there are in his vault before getting a reply of fifty thousand galleons approximately.

"Is there any way I can carry more of the galleons out without coming back here countlessly?" Harry asked the goblin.

"Yes," the goblin sneered," you can purchase this money pouch from us. It is charmed to be connected to your trust vault so that you could withdraw any amount so long you have that amount within your vault."

"Hmm… Alright then, I would like to have a money pouch purchased then. Could you exchange some of the galleons into pounds as well?"

"Considered done. We will give you this muggle credit card that is attached to this vault as well. Time is ticking and every minute wasted is a galleon lost. Let's go," the goblin hurried them to the next stop where Hagrid could be seen taking a small pouch of object.

"What is that?" Harry asked curiously.

"I can' say 'arry. It's a task given by 'eadmaster Dumbledore." Hagrid replied while shaking his head.

'_Hmm… Maybe I could use it to my advantage. Time for some little persuasion,'_Harry thought.

"Hagrid," he started," you do know that with such an important object on hand, you could be attacked anytime? What if you lost that object? What do you think Headmaster Dumbledore will do to you?"

"'arry… What yer said make sense. We should 'urry up with e' purchasing of yer firs' year materials then," Hagrid replied.

"No Hagrid. I am suggesting that you go back to Headmaster Dumbledore first to secure that object. Merlin knows how disappointed he will be if you lose it." Harry persuaded Hagrid," you can trust me with buying of these stuff. I can be quite independent."

"But…" Hagrid started before he was cut off by Harry.

"Go on Hagrid. Do not break the trust given by Headmaster Dumbledore. Your task is of utmost important. Furthermore, I am old enough to enter school, and so I will be old enough to know my routes and purchasing of the stuff for Hogwarts."

"If yer say so… Thank yer fer lookin' out fer me 'arry," Hagrid said appreciatively, before he sniffed and continued," If yer need any help, yer remember to ask aroun'!"

"I will Hagrid. Thank you for bringing me here. See you soon!" Harry bid Hagrid farewell before he hurried off to buy his Hogwarts' equipment.

'_Hook, line and sinker. What a simplistic man,'_ Harry thought.

Next, he decided to buy his clothes from Madam Malkin's. Deciding to purchase the highest quality types since he could afford it, he ordered five sets of acromantula silk robes, dragonhide boots and gloves. Harry then went off to buy a trunk with an extension charm placed such that it could fit a library of books inside. It had quite an extensive security such that if someone intruded upon the trunk, they would be in for a nasty surprise. With the help of the trunk-maker, the trunk had a feather-light charm placed on it, as well as a charm to shrink the trunk into a pocket-sized object for easier baggage activated by voice.

He decided his next stop would be Flourish and Blotts. He could spend the rest of the day here reading and purchasing the books. From young, Harry has developed an unhealthy obsession with gathering knowledge and reading is still one of the best ways.

And so, he decided to buy several other interesting books that were out of the required list such as – _Mind Magicks, Beginner's Guide to Magical theory, Introduction to Ancient Runes and Wizarding Customs and Etiquettes_. However, as much as he search, he could not find any books regarding his ability to hide in the shadow, and the reason why he is at peace whenever he was in the dark.

After buying a pewter cauldron – '_why would anybody waste their galleons on gold cauldron when a cheaper alternative works the same?'_ and the required potions ingredients and collecting his robes, he decided to visit his last stop – Ollivanders' Makers of Find Wands.

As he opened the door and entered, he was met with an empty counter. The place was filthy with cobwebs around the corners of the room. There were lots of boxes packed upon rows of shelves. If harry was to reckon a guess, there could be as many as a few thousand wands already made and ready to be sold. However, then comes the question as to where the shop keeper – Ollivander was? Harry walked up to the counter and looked around.

"Greetings Ollivander sir. Would you…" Before Harry could finish the sentence, he heard a soft tapping sound behind him and Harry immediately turned, muscles tensed and ready to react in the shortest possible moment.

"Well… Look who do we have here…" an old bespectacled man spoke, looking at Harry at such a way as if he could pierce through his soul, eyes twinkling. "Mister Potter… Eleven years had passed since the defeat of the dark lord. Eleven years since your family was thought to be annihilated by the death eaters and here you are, alive and well. Curious indeed as to how you survive the fire."

There was a subtle cringe before Harry covered up with his emotionless mask.

"What do you know of the fire?" Harry asked.

"Mister Potter, I know everything about it. I know how you have an affinity to fire and … to shadow. I know …" Before he could continue, Harry cut him off since he did not want more of his secrets out. Yet he did not know that if only he waited a few more seconds, he could solve the great mystery as to the origin of his special affinities and power.

"Keep everything you know a secret Ollivander or you will regret it." Harry threatened the old man. His eyes glowing slightly as he spoke. There was a slight vibration in the whole shop, signifying the danger Harry posed towards Ollivander.

"But of course Mister Potter. We…" Before he could continue, Harry noticed the slight twinge in the old man's finger, the slight difference in the heaving frequency of his chest and knew he did not regard his threat much if at all.

"I mean it!" Harry bellowed. A dark aura formed around him and fortunately or unfortunately, Ollivander was a person who could see the aura with his unique ability of sight.

The old man could be seen cowering from Harry. He gulped before nodding.

"I will trust you this time. Betray my trust and you will know the consequences."

Harry motioned towards Ollivander, "Shall we continue then?"

Ollivander felt slightly appeased from that action before squeaking out slightly," Left-handed or right-handed?"

"Neither. I am ambidextrous."

Ollivander then took out his magical measuring tape which automatically flew towards Harry, measuring whatever that needed to be measured.

"Alright then. Let's try this. 12 inches. Oak with dragon heartstring. Nice and flexible. Give it a wave"

Harry took the wand and gave it a wave. Nothing happened. Ollivander immediately took back and gave Harry another wand to try," How about this. Maple with phoenix feather. Great wand for charms."

Harry tried once again without any noticeable result. This continued on with more than twenty wands.

"Hmm… Curious indeed. Let's see you try this wand. Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches. Nice and supple."

Harry waved and yet again, there was no effect seen as a result. Ollivander took back the wand, a disappointed look etched on his face.

"Mister Potter. In my many years as a wand maker, you are the very first customer I see to not have any connections at all with any of the wands here. I think I would have to sell you a custom-made wand after all. Follow me." Ollivander beckoned to Harry to follow him into the back of the shop. He waved his hand, changing the direction of the sign hanged on the door to show that the shop is closed.

As Harry entered the back of the shop, he found out that there were a lot of ingredients in the many boxes placed. He was awestruck though he did keep that aloof expression. He walked past the many ingredients, curiously looking at it – he saw Dragon heartstrings, Unicorn tears, and even Thestral hair!

"Go on Mister Potter. Tell me when you feel any connection at all with the ingredients. You would have a feeling of your magic calling out to you that that is the right ingredient to make your wand."

Harry nodded before resuming his walk along the aisle. As he almost reach the end of the shop, he had that feeling of something pulling his chest. Thinking it was a connection, he turned and pointed towards the ingredient.

"Oh my… You sure are a special customer eh Mister Potter? Dementor's blood this is. Hard to obtain but powerful and dark magic it holds."

About a few steps later, there was another pull and he reached out to Ollivander to tell him to come and collect that ingredient.

"Basilisk venom. One of the strongest poison in the world. One drop is enough to kill even the strongest of wizard if left without treatment. Now let's go and pick you the wood for your wand."

Harry went over to the other section that was filled with different kinds of wood. There were woods of many different shades of colours, and some had never seen nor heard of before. The moment he found "his wood", he told Ollivanders.

"Blood wood. The wood found only in Vampire's territory, evolved from the many absorption of blood in the ground as a result of the nature of those creatures. Comeback in about an hour's time. I will have your wand ready by then Mister Potter."

Harry gave a slight nod of his hand and went out of shop. He breathed in deep bouts of fresh air, feeling suffocated from the cramped and confined shop he just left. With that, he decided to go back to Leaky Cauldron to make a few arrangements seeing that there was no reason for him to go back to Privet Drive anymore since he can afford renting a room now.

As he entered Leaky Cauldron, he made a beeline towards the barkeeper, also known as Tom as he heard other patrons calling him.

"Hello Tom. I would like to have a room until the first of September," Harry asked politely.

"Hello sir. I have a room for you ready. The rates would be at 3 Galleon per night. If you want any meals made, tell me and I will have it prepared. If you want, I could send it straight to your room."

"That is fine. So 32 days from now to September first would mean a total of 96 Galleon," Harry calculated before giving Tom 50 Galleon as deposit. "I will pay the rest on the middle of August Tom. Could you make me lunch for now?"

"That will be fine. You have any specific requirements sir?"

"As long as it is not fried and I would be fine. Thank you," Harry replied before moving towards one of the corner table that was empty. He took out his book from his trunk before starting to read up on _Beginner's Guide to Magical Theory_since that was what he was most interested in currently. After meal, he went back to Ollivander's to collect his wand.

"Here is your wand Mister Potter. Thirteen inches. Blood wood with Basilisk Venom and Dementor's Blood. This is one of the darkest wand I have ever made over my many years in service. Be warned that any light magic used in conjunction with the wand would have a significantly weakened effect, such as a healing spell would not be effective much. I believe this will be 65 Galleon."

Harry handed the exact change before walking back to his room in the Leaky Cauldron. He was totally exhausted for he had not sleep much the previous day what with Hagrid visiting him in midnight. Moments later, Harry was totally knocked out.

Over the next month, Harry spent his time going to Muggle London to purchase interesting books with subject like Psychology and Persuasion and influence. After all, if he wanted to survive in a new world like this magical world, he would need every weapon he could find in his arsenal.

Harry did visit Knockturn Alley as well to purchase on several of the books on Dark Arts. After all, he had a wand that specialised in those spells and there was no reason for him to hold back on that subject. He was able to avoid the attention garnered by releasing his dark aura as well as by walking in the shadow.

Harry was a genius from young. An average person would spend a few days before digesting a book on Psychology. Yet Harry could glean everything he needed within a day. Coupled with his need to only sleep for 4 hours per day, you could say that he had a lot of time for readings to be done.

He found out that through mediation, one could find out about his magical core thus enabling him to better understand his magic and control it without any magical foci while at the same time, powering up any spells he did.

Through comparison and cross-referencing, he deducted that magic is like muscles. The more you use it, the more you put unduly stress on it, the stronger it would grow when it is recovered. He had been using magic since a tender age of 6, doing amazing things that seemed impossible – calling out to a book which flew towards him, disappearing from certain danger and appearing on the roof of the school and the most amazing of all, to hide in shadows which nobody could see him. Thus he would assume that his magical core as of now would be quite strong.

Also as seen from the book _Beginner's Guide to Magical Theory_, he gleaned of the knowledge that being a healthy and physically strong wizard would improve his magical abilities by leaps and bounds. Thus, he decided to start exercising whenever he could. Waking up early in the morning to run in Muggle London of course. He began doing push-ups and sit-ups after running so as to gain strength in his core and arms. Furthermore, having a physically attractive side would allow him to gain more influence and persuasion from the opposite gender. So all in all, there is much motivation for him to exercise as much as possible.

However, the biggest change in his life was the moment he found and read a book _Deception – A lost Art_. Deception was a very important skill set he should have. By deceiving others, he could lower the opposition's guard. At the same time, when they thought that he was weak, he would strike at their weakest point thus overcoming them. This works even with a much stronger opponent be it in duels, or in political sense. When the opposition underestimate you, it would be their very downfall.

As a result, Harry decided to have a magical suppressing rune tattooed onto his skin. This would ensure his magical abilities are restricted, thus showing to the others that he was a weak and average wizard. At the same time, with his magic supressed, it would be like having weights on your body. His magic would grow tremendously as his magic – a muscle – get restrained. In a nut shell, it would be a kind of resistance training albeit one on his core switched on 24/7. However, he would have to learn more about ancient runes so as to allow him to adjust the amount supressed when his magic grew. He decided to continue wearing baggy clothes to make other think he was poor, and at the same time, hid his physique from unwanted eyes.

Although it would be good to show off his power, he still had much to learn so as of now, it was pointless to show off too much power. Deception, after all could mean life and death for him.

* * *

**A/N: I know the Harry I portray here seems much more mature than his age. But that is what living in an abusive environment does to you. You are forced to grow up and become independent. Even though in some cases Harry is more mature than people his age, he does not know how to react for social situations. Thus, he acted suavely that way to Hagrid because he tried mimicking others in persuading. Anyway, this is my first fiction so yeah... **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

* * *

Chapter 2

On September first, Harry went to King Cross station by the floo connection to Leaky Cauldron. He flooed off to one of the nearby hotels that was accepted as public floo for wizards.

Now, finally he realised that there was actually another world for him to explore, a place where he would not be seen as a freak.

As he entered the station, he decided to stay unnoticed among the crowds while observing with his ever-keen sense of sight to notice anything abnormal. This act had paid off well when he saw a large group of flaming red hair which he presumed logically was a family moving towards a certain wall in the station.

"Mom! Can't I go Hogwarts as well…?" the only young female girl within the group piped out to the older matron of the group.

"Now, you are not old enough Ginny. Be quiet and let brothers go first. Percy?" the woman nodded to one of the red-head, gesturing him to walk into the wall.

As he stride confidently into the wall, Harry was not shocked at all that the red-head disappeared within the walls. Now that the idea that magic is real to him, nothing is impossible. As he waited until the whole group of family disappeared within the walls, an illusion he presumed, he went towards it, head-on. As he seemed to be almost colliding into what seemed to be a hard and tangible object, he blinked and the whole scene in front of him changed.

A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts' Express, eleven o'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it, He had done it.

There were many families bidding farewell to their children. Harry hardened himself, double-checked his mask of indifference was on and went straight up the train. He went about trying to find an empty compartment to stay at, away from the throngs of crowd. He hated crowds. But what was underneath this hatred was his disappointment towards human in general. He hated himself for being so weak, for allowing his relatives to abuse him in more ways than he could count using his fingers.

He hated himself sometimes for being so intelligent that he knew and understand the fear of humans towards the supernatural and would stop at nothing just so they could get back a semblance of normalcy in their life. Ignorance is bliss as he would tell himself that. Maybe without having the intellect and the drive towards quenching his curiosity towards all things in general, he could live peacefully with his aunt and uncle. Yet it seemed to be intractable for him to ask why they beat him, why he had to stay under the cupboard, why they did not treat him like they did to their "dudderkins" and why did his parents have to die.

He had been beaten to the inch of his life, until he grew up and learn that asking questions was bad for it would result in beatings. This is the survival mechanism activating, programming his whole being in order to evolve, to not get any more pain in his body. Thus, he shied away from all forms of contact, even those that were of not enquiry purposes and became a social outcast so that nobody would disturb him. Unfortunate or fortunate for him, it worked and from then on, he had with him a mask of coldness that seemed out of place for a teenager so young to have.

* * *

Daphne Greengrass is a beauty. Even at such a ripe age of eleven, there were countless of boys leering at her wherever she goes. She hated the attention. She hated her father even more.

From young, she was trained and moulded into the perfect wife for any pureblood husband. Her father had instilled in her that when she was to be married away to another pureblood family of high noble standing so that the Ancient House of Greengrass would be able to gain political ties to strengthen their social standing.

Every time Daphne did not have with her that cold mask to shut off her emotions from view, her father would beat her. He did not want to see any shred of happiness, of anger and of sadness. She was forced to learn how to control and detect emotions so that she could serve her future husband whenever he needed her.

She had also spent countless hours of writing in order to perfect her handwriting and whenever she made a small mistake, her father would induce pain in her wrist and hand. Suffice to say, at eleven years old, Daphne was the perfect pureblood princess.

However, at times there were some bright spots in her life. She had met this girl – Tracey Davis, a half-blood from the minor House of Davis. Although frowned upon, Daphne had managed to get her father's approval – after being persuaded by her mother – to allow Tracey into her life. She was the lifeline, the light at the end of the tunnel and the reason why Daphne did not turn into a sycophant to her father.

She learned about how her feelings were more important than her father's instructions. As a result of being influenced by Tracey, who had enjoyed her childhood, Daphne became more disillusioned with her family. She learned of how one could fall in love with the perfect man in the future, and spend the rest of her life with him. She learned to be more selfish and to take stock of her own life. She became more rebellious in her heart, and certainly a wish for emancipation from her family to not be like what her mother became.

Thus, when they received their letter of acceptance to Hogwarts, Daphne felt joy in her life for she knew she could at least escape from the stuffiness and pressure felt in the Greengrass manor. She could finally be herself.

Yet as she entered Hogwarts, she felt her life turned upside down. On one hand, her beauty saw to the problem of boys leering at her as if she was a trophy. As a result, she would put on the icy-cold mask that was perfected at home in order to protect her feelings and her body from harm. But at the moment when she found a boy who is like her, in past circumstances, without having the influence of a friend to guide him away and pull him back from darkness, her mask decided to crack open slowly

* * *

With a wave of his hand, Harry was about to lock the door to his compartment when the door opened. There in front of him were two girls with their hands linked together.

One of them had a dirty blonde hair that was of a bit beyond shoulder length. She had this mesmerising cold cobalt- blue eyes that could enchant any and every male should she want to do so. An oxymoron that was puzzling in itself. A beauty through and through he would say. She was wearing over her the Hogwarts school robe that were pitch black in colour without any markings of sort imprinted on it, covering her shapely body that Harry could imagine in his mind.

The other girl was a brunette with a kind of bubbly face and amiable expression on it that could make anybody feel at peace conversing with her. Harry felt that she must have a normal childhood. She was wearing the school robe as well.

"Do you mind if we join you? The other compartments seem to be filled as we walked through," the brunette asked politely with a wide smile.

Harry looked towards them, scrutinising them thoroughly. He was sizing up the two girls to see if they would disturb him from his solitary.

After what seemed to be like an eternity for the girls who were a bit uncomfortable by the dead look given by Harry, he shrugged and then stood up to help the girls with their trunks into the compartment. It was the least he could do as a male.

"Thank you! You know, we haven't met before yet. My name is Tracey. Tracey Davis and here with me is my friend Daphne. Daphne Greengrass," she replied in an inviting tone, hoping to make friends with Harry.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Harry." he stated monotonously.

Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis were both shocked when they heard the tone, Daphne more so, but were able to hide it. In front was a boy not older than them and definitely at a prepubescent age yet hearing those emotionless words speaking out of his mouth made them shudder in fear of whatever has happened to him to turn him into such a person.

In Daphne's case, she knew that this boy in front of them had like her, perfected and moulded his exterior to show no emotion.

Tracey looked towards Daphne, nodding her head slightly, passing a non-spoken message to her that he definitely needed friends.

"Harry…" started Daphne as she looked towards him, trying to reach out to his hand in a bid to comfort him.

However, the moment her skin slightly brushed against his, he retracted totally. As if he was a Mimosa plant, he moved to the corner of the compartment and looked towards Daphne, his expression telling her to leave him alone.

"I'm sorry," Daphne raised both of her hands, showing him that she had no ill intentions. "We would like to be friends with you."

"Friends. I have no need of them," came an aloof reply from Harry, before he looked away from her, out towards the meadow and moving landscape, implying to her he wanted to be left alone.

She looked towards Harry with a sad look before shaking her head and decided to instead while away the time by chatting with Tracey, taking note of the circumstances of Harry being more closed up than she ever was.

At the same time, she had the most bewildering thought of why her mask was not in place. She thought she covered up her emotions thoroughly before entering the compartment yet a few words exchanged between them and that mask cracked open without her being aware of it.

For a while, there was peace in the compartment. Harry looked out the moving train ever since the interaction before and the girls were chattering away in soft voices. Then suddenly, the door to the compartment was pulled opened.

"Well well… Look who we have here?" a young boy with blonde hair and pale skin started with a much arrogance in it," Greengrass, I think you could do with better companions than those within this compartment."

The said girl stiffened imperceptibly, and on her face was the cold look that was full of loathing towards the boy who just entered with his two side-kicks behind.

The boy sniffed awhile before saying in a condescending tone," A half-blood and," he nodded towards Harry," a pauper (Harry is at the moment wearing oversized clothes). I wonder why Dumbledore would even allow people like you two enter Hogwarts. He is definitely bringing down the standard of our world."

"You shut your mouth up Malfoy!" Tracey huffed angrily, folding her arms to her chest, "Daphne here would do much better without being anywhere near your blood purist ideology."

"Oh...? So you do know a thing or two about how pure-bloods like yours truly and Greengrass over there are your betters then. Well you are forgiven so long you pay your respect to us."

"When did I ever say you are better than us!" Tracey started before putting an arm over Daphne's shoulder, "Daphne is my best friend and we do not subscribe to your idiocy, right?"

Daphne nodded before staring towards Malfoy with a cold and calculating look and said to him," Malfoy, you are disturbing our peace. Please leave now before I force you to. The result will not be pretty I assure you."

"You think I am afraid of you, a little girl? Even if your blood is as pure as mine, I will show you that you will regret not coming with me." Malfoy snarled at her before gesturing towards the two big-looking boys behind him," Crabbe, Goyle, go and bring Greengrass out so we can teach her a lesson or two."

Daphne stiffened considerably and was prepared to take out her wand to defend herself.

There was a subtle movement from Harry who saw everything from his peripheral vision. The two aforementioned boys walked into the compartment and was just one step in when at the next moment, they flew backwards, hitting their head against the door.

"What is the meaning of this?" An older-looking male came walking towards the compartment," I was wondering why there is such a ruckus over here and now from what I saw, you three are infringing on your rights as student, bullying even before school term started. How disappointing."

The older male then took out his wand from his robe, swished and flicked it to enervate both Crabbe and Goyle into consciousness before pointing towards Malfoy, "You, come with me with your goons. You are in deep shit."

Malfoy then glared towards Greengrass, telling her non-verbally that this will not be the last she saw of him.

Once the door to the compartment was closed, Tracey looked towards Daphne concerned and asked," Are you hurt? Did they grab you?"

"I'm fine Trace. Thanks for the concern," Daphne replied with a slight smile appreciating it. She then turned towards Harry with a pursed lip, deciding or not whether to talk and ask if he was alright. But he seemed to be in another world already as could be seen from his unmoving body and the emotionless look on him. At that moment, she knew that it would be better to let him enjoy whatever peace or thinking he is doing currently.

* * *

"Firs' years c'mon! Follow me over here!" shouted Hagrid who gestured towards the students in a beckoning motion. A large group of students followed his instruction and went along with him. In front of them was a black lake which ended upon an island with a magnificent castle built upon. Coupled with a starry sky, this invited more than a dozen oohs and ahhs from the first years coming to Hogwarts.

"Not more'n four to a boat!" said Hagrid who dwarfed the students around him.

Harry went onto a boat, the one furthest to the side, hoping that he could be alone. Yet alas, Daphne and Tracey followed him onto the same boat. Thinking to himself, he would rather be with the girls than other unwarranted company like the boy in the boat next to Hagrid, who seemed to be an attention-magnet, drawing everybody to him. A dark-skinned black hair boy joined them in their boat.

Hagrid, the big man then moved both his arms towards Hogwarts. "FORWARD!"

As the boats steered themselves slowly towards the castle, everyone was thinking along the same line that Hogwarts looked even bigger up close than they had thought. It seemed that the next few years would be an enjoyable year for all of them, learning magic in this castle that seemed alive.

Finally, the boats landed upon the shore. The students followed Hagrid who before entering the great doors of Hogwarts, left the group to a tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes.

"Thank you Hagrid. I will take them from here," she said before opening the doors wide open, allowing the students to enter.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor McGonagall, the deputy headmistress for Hogwarts and will be teaching all of you here Transfiguration over the next few years of your stay here," she said. "The start-of-term banquet will start shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses…"

Throughout the speech, Harry seemed to be in another world. With quite a large personal space of about a foot he set himself from the rest of the group, he was an oddity. He was observing, taking note of every single detail in the entrance hall. The grandeur of the carpets laid, how many steps were there to the second floor, the movement and minute shuddering by several students as they seemed anxious about what will be happening in the next moment.

Suddenly, a few people screamed, causing an immediate reaction upon the crowd. All turned towards the cause, jolted upon and ready to react. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall as if it was an illusion. There were translucent and pearly white.

Curious, Harry tried putting his hand through one of the ghost moving past him and shuddered involuntarily from the coldness that seeped through his arms and towards his body.

Professor McGonagall came soon and brought the large group of students, lining them up to wait for their sorting. The skies were similar to that found outside the castle – full of stars blinking and brightening up the world.

"It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in _Hogwarts, A History_," a girl with bushy-hair whispered in a not so quiet manner.

There was an obvious distaste towards the girl at that moment for the students tried distancing themselves from her.

Right in front of the hall was a stool. Upon which, an old hat stood. As the hall quietened down, there was a twitch on the hat before everyone could hear it sang out in poetic verses his opening speech.

'_That is an enchantment I have got to learn. With it I could create a talking homunculus to take on my whole being, while I hide in the shadows from everyone. I could create a masterful deception that nobody will be any the wiser about it,'_Harry plotted within his mind.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," Professor McGonagall said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

Harry did not pay much attention to the following sorting. He noticed that Daphne and Tracey were both sorted into Slytherin and the attention-magnet was sorted into Gryffindor. His name was Neville Longbottom and from the many mutterings, he could pick out some snippets of conversation that included the words Boy-Who-Lived and killing curse.

"Potter, Harry!"

Harry walked towards the front of the hall towards the hat, looking down upon the floor. He seemed to be trying to use his fringe to cover his eyes as he walked.

Murmurings could be heard throughout the hall. The student population was wondering how one of the Potters survived. It seemed that he has gained a healthy dose of attention as well, which Harry cursed under his breath.

As he sat on the stool and put on the sorting hat, Harry heard voices aloud within his mind.

'_Hmm… Look what do we have here…? A boy so young, yet experienced what more than half of the adults in the world did not and would not have. Or should I say a man instead…?'_ The sorting hat conversed within Harry's mind.

'_Hello sorting hat. You are one piece of a great art I say. Enchanted to even be able to see through minds and talk within our mindscape. Tell me your secret will you?'_Harry replied internally.

'_Interesting… You have the makings of a great mind. Curiosity will get you far ahead in life yet too much of it will in the end bite back at you. I am charmed and created by the Founders of Hogwarts. That is what I can tell you at most_,' the sorting hat returned. _'Magic is indeed a most wondrous thing. You can practically do anything with it. I see now in your mind that you are a very cunning and ambitious person. Trying to deceive everyone with your appearance yet hidden underneath is a very complex person.'_

'_I hope what you have gleaned in my mind stays a secret between us. If not, what good would it be if I stay hidden? What good would it be indeed to attract the most unwanted attention from anybody at all…?'_

'_Do not worry Mister Potter. Your secret will stay with me. It is a tough choice for me to see if I should house you in Ravenclaw or Slytherin. You would do well in both for your thirst for knowledge is fuelled by your ambition.'_

'_It is your choice Sorting Hat. After all, that is what you are for is it not?'_

'_Indeed it is… Though I will answer that question you have before. It is a form of the obscure art of Necromancy if you want to create a living clone of yours. I highly doubt you could find much information on it. As for your house, I say it shall be… SLYTHERIN!'_

There was a quiet applause in the great hall as many people eyed Harry warily. It seemed that the tradition of competition with unity within the school had been destroyed and replaced by the subjective and biased views of the students. Generations after generations of students passed down the doctrine of _all_ Slytherin being evil and that dark wizards stemmed from that house alone. Once you are sorted into Slytherin, it seemed to be that you are immediately labelled evil and dark.

'_How foolish indeed. Even the professors partake in this silly game of labelling without seeing past the underneath of the individuals. It is going to be very tough indeed for the next few years here… But at least I will not be treated as a lowly servant and boy-toy by my relatives. At least I will be able to gain the power to show them past their blindness and show them not to mess with me_,' Harry thought as he walked towards the corner of the Slytherin table, taking a seat beside Daphne. She is a better company than the rest since he was given the silent treatment when he wanted, unlike the arrogant Malfoy or the Miss Know-it-all who could not keep her mouth shut.

Daphne tried giving a terse smile towards Harry but she was ignored. Harry tuned out the noise between the students in the hall and retreated within his inner mindscape. He saw the many dark looks given to him by students of other houses, especially from Gryffindor. Harry looked towards the head table and at that very moment, he crossed eyes with a greasy black-haired professor, with a slightly longer than average nose and mean look glaring at him as if he wanted to kill Harry.

"Miss Greengrass, who is that black and greasy-haired professor over at the head table." Harry phrased the question in such a way that seemed more like a statement.

She was taken aback by his sudden question, seeing as that was his first initiative towards conversation. Not wanting to lose the chance to try to make Harry open up, she immediately steeled her expression back to hide that shocked look of her before replying. "That is Professor Snape. He will be teaching Potions and is the head of our house. He can be quite mean to students as I heard from my mom especially if they are from Gryffindor."

Nodding his head, Harry went back to whatever he was doing before starting on his meal after the sorting was finished. _'At least I get to eat and satiate my appetite here.'_

Once the meal was finished, the headmaster Albus Dumbledore stood up and said," Ahem – just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should take note that the forbidden forest which is on the grounds is as the name stated, forbidden. I have also been asked by Mr Filch, our caretaker, to remind you that no magic should be used in between classes in the corridors. A list of banned items could be seen on the notice next to his office. And finally, I warn you all that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

There among the students was a noticeable shudder at the word death. There were a few however that perked up at the very notion like the two similar looking red-heads over at the Gryffindor side and Harry Potter._'Interesting… Why would he make it seem as if he was tempting us to visit that particular corridor? A challenge I accept.'_

"With that, I bid you all a very good night," Headmaster Dumbledore's twinkling eyes could be seen before he was continued by Professor McGonagall, "Prefects, please carry on your duty."

"First years keep up with me. If you get lost, it will be your problem," one of the older Slytherin bellowed out. He had a prefect badge pinned on his robe.

The group of Slytherins followed him and went down a set of stairs. It was dark and spooky, with only torches lighting up the corridors. There was a sombre mood among the students as they were inadvertently affected by their first step into the environment of stark contrast from before. They stopped in front of a stone wall that was edged inwards, looking obviously like a door.

"Sanguinem," the prefect spoke out before the wall could be seen moving aside, showing a hidden room behind it. "That will be the password for this week. It will change every week so do remember to ask for it from us prefects on every Monday. If you get locked out, it is your own problem. Anyway, come on inside fellow Slytherins."

As they went inwards, they could see the whole room lit up in green. It dungeon-like and even the chairs and couch were in green.

"Come gather around the fire place," the prefect said before introducing himself and his partner, before setting the ground rules to the first years," Now as you all know, we Slytherins have a notorious reputation. Even so, you are all expected to hold up to the tradition. Outside this common room, we are together. There will be no petty fights nor argument. Keep all those within these four walls. I don't care if you have any deep hatred amongst one another or even with those from other houses, just do and not be caught. Cunning is what we are and we Slytherins are and will be the greatest of all four in Hogwarts."

"The male dorms will be on the left and the female on the right. Please take note that the path to the female dorms is charmed to prevent the opposite gender from entering. Have a good night sleep and you will be receiving your class schedules tomorrow from our head of house, Professor Snape."

At that moment, the two prefects went back to do whatever they were going to do. Draco Malfoy decided to act at that moment. He went to the front of the couch just where the prefect was standing previously and said in a pompous and haughty voice," Slytherins first year. From today onwards, I will be taking charge over all of you here. I have the power in my hands and if you do decided to do anything that goes against my liking, I will have you be in trouble. My father is in the school's board of directors and I have the power to expel you from this school so be warned!"

At that moment, there were several reactions from the crowd of first years. Crabbe and Goyle wore the same stupid-look which would be there eternally. Theodore Nott smiled and knew that at the moment, he would follow Malfoy just to be on his side, be protected and gain power for himself at the same time. Blaise Zabini just looked on with a "Are you kidding me?" look. Pansy Parkinson had that fan-girl and awestruck face, wanting to give whatever she could to ally with Malfoy. Daphne Greengrass had that icy-cold look without any muscle movement on her face. Tracey Davis was furious and had clenched her firsts, anger erupting any moment now. Millicent Bulstrode felt a bit of fear and looked apprehensively towards Draco. However, the biggest reaction seen was from Harry Potter – he walked away, shaking his head for Malfoy being an idiot.

Draco saw red the moment Harry went off, ignoring him. He shouted out," Potter! Don't think you would be welcome here. After all with that mudblood whore of a mother of yours giving birth to you, I don't think you would be standing when in the presence of me." Malfoy pointed to himself, chest heaved out like a spoilt prince.

Yet Harry just turned at Draco, yawned and went off in search of his bed. At that moment, Tracey broke up in uncontrollable feats of laughter. Daphne could not help but smile internally of course at that occurrence. Blaise decided to follow harry and went off to his dorm as well.

"That bastard…" Draco seethed. He was about to give Harry his piece of mind when Pansy decided to throw herself at Draco.

"Draco… You do not have to be angry now. I am here with you," Pansy purred seductively.

"Pansy. At least you have the brains to not be like that traitor Potter," Draco sneered before deciding to explore the female body which Pansy willingly allowed.

Daphne and Tracey decided that they could not stand Malfoy any further and went back to their dorms.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Chapter 3

A scream reverberated. Flashes of green light seen. Searing heat felt on his skin as the fire in front of him formed into a shape of a serpent.

Harry woke up at that point. He was drenched from top to bottom as if the heat from the flame he felt from the dream was real. The whole room was still dark but he could see. It was a special ability he had ever since he was young. He could see clearly even when there were no source of light nearby, even when he was in absolute darkness.

For as long as he could remember, darkness was comforting to him. It allowed him to be enveloped inside its cradle, protecting him from any predators. He felt at peace with it.

Whenever he was chased by bullies, he could always turn around at the corner, stand within a shadow cast by any object and willed himself to be one with the shadow. At that moment, he would feel the darkness shrouding over him like a blanket. He knew even before the bullies come running towards him that they would not see him at all.

As he grew up, he found out that he could stay hidden from all human senses and all technological sensing objects. It was an ability he found out by trial and error. No camera nor sensor could capture him while he was inside the black pocket of shadow. He would try to stand by the automatic-operated glass door but it would not open for him.

He learned that if however the shadow cast on the ground was gone due to an extra amount of light produced, the entirety of his vision where the area was lighted would black out. So after a thorough amount of thinking and reasoning, he came up with the term dark dimension which only he could enter as far as he know.

In this alternate dimension, the world was inverse in terms of light and dark. Whatever he could see in the real world, it would be dark inside the dimension. Conversely, if there was a shadow cast or any form of darkness in the real world, in the alternate dimension, he could see the object clearly.

So if he was within the dark dimension, he could not enter the real-world dimension if he did not see the spot since there was not a patch of shadow there. Technically, in a place where every single inch was filled with light, he would be trapped.

Fortunately though, there would always be darkness accompanying the light. They were like yin and yang, death and life, where one could not exist without the other. Thus, there would be practically no way he could be trapped inside the dark dimension.

As he had experienced 'teleportation' – a term he read in fiction before by accident, he knew somehow or another that with his manipulation of the shadow, he could move from point to point instantaneously as long as he travelled within the dark dimension. He could control time and space within it. This dimension belongs to him and he is the god there.

At the moment in time when Harry woke up, it was four in the morning. The sun had not risen up and the whole world was pitch-black. He decided to get up and go for a run around the black lake. Physical fitness was after all an important aspect in his life.

After the run, he would use the moment to meditate in the darkness, stretching his abilities to improve his manipulation of darkness by balancing his consciousness on a fine line between the two dimensions. This was what allowed him to see in the dark for he could send his senses into the darkness dimension where dark was light.

The day he entered magical Britain, he remembered having a slight shiver. He read the book on magical theory which told him that he had that ability to sense magic around him. In a way, magical sensing was like SONAR in muggle terms.

Through meditation, he could create an image inside his mind. His own magic sent out would be reflected upon touching any other forms of magic not his, be it those of nature, of creatures or of wizards. By identifying based on the irregularities within the magical field itself, estimating and comparing with his past experiences, he would be able to sense for any dangerous predator in the vicinity, or of any wizards and witches nearby.

Of course, he was still new to this and at times, the information overload was too much for him to handle. There was also a limit to the distance and how much he could sense too. With training, he hoped to be able to keep this sensing abilities of his operating subconsciously.

After which, he would train on Occlumency, a skill to protect his mind from invasion. He had read the book on _Mind Magicks_ which taught him step by step how to build up an impenetrable shield from invaders – Legilimens. In his case, he would use absolute darkness as his shield – to confuse and to hold any perpetrator attacking his mind. However, he was still quite new at it too, having learned by himself and without anybody trying to attack his mind to test his shield.

While doing his meditation training, Harry would release the restriction on his magic to let it recover and grow while getting his core used to it. It was a form of conditioning exercise.

Once he finished with his daily routine, he would go back to his dorm, wash up and get ready for the classes ahead for the day. It was seven-thirty when he reached the Great Hall. There were a lot of students there already enjoying their breakfast.

Today was the first day so they would be receiving their schedules for classes at a quarter to eight. He sat down by himself, away from the rest of his class mate. There was no need for friends in his opinion. Though Daphne and Tracey were alright company, if given a choice like today where not the entire table was filled, he would rather be by himself. Without anybody to distract him nor time wasted with friends, he could direct all his energy into getting stronger, to prevent anyone from hurting him anymore.

As he ate his breakfast, which consisted mostly of eggs and salad with milk, he overheard several of his first year mates talking loudly, especially Draco Malfoy.

"I warn all of you here, do not befriend Potter. He is a traitor to our house. As a Potter, he belongs to the light and I find it suspicious for him to come into Slytherin. Thus, with my wit, I believe he is a spy!" Draco muttered out in a matter-of-fact tone while gesturing towards the rest of his cohort.

Harry could not help but snort at the very thought of him being a spy or him belonging to the light. How very wrong Malfoy was. But of course though, he would not defend himself. Disinformation was a way of deception after all.

As he continued eating, he felt a tap on his back. Harry turned around and saw Professor Snape, his head of house and a very bigoted one for reasons unknown to him.

"Potter," he sneered with a tone of disgust and mild anger. "Here is your schedule. I warn you, do not make any trouble for me or for the rest of your house. It will be the very last thing you do."

Harry raised one of his eye brows at what his head of house told him. Accepting his schedules, he turned back without giving a second look at his head of house. As he perused through the sheet, he found out that he shared Potions and Herbology with Gryffindor, Transfiguration, Astronomy and Histories of Magic with Hufflepuff and lastly, Defence against the Dark Arts and charms with Ravenclaw.

So he finished with his sumptuous and healthy meal before going ahead to his first class – Transfiguration with Hufflepuff.

He was the first one to enter the class. Seeing that nobody was there other than a cat that stood still on the desk, he decided to resume his reading on Ancient Runes, with the cover charmed to look like it was a Transfiguration book. Runes in his opinion was quite an interesting topic. Enchantment, warding, and many useful magic could be done through Ancient Runes. Thus he decided to make it his priority to learn ahead even though the elective for Ancient Runes only start from third year onwards.

Awhile later, students started flooding into the class. Blaise decided to sit next to Harry and he introduced himself.

"Hello Potter. Nice to meet you. I am Blaise, Blaise Zabini," the dark-skinned and black-haired body started.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance Zabini," Harry replied without much of an inflection in his tone before returning to his book. Blaise tilted his head before turning back to the front of the class, waiting for Professor McGonagall to come.

Inside his mind, Blaise was wary of what game Potter was playing. He showed no dislike towards any of the members of the house, yet at the same time, he did not care to ally himself with them either. It seemed that Potter was foolish for thinking he was above the rest, making enemies in the process or in the worst case scenario, he had the power to back him up. It was a conundrum for Blaise and it would stay unsolved for the near future.

At the moment when the time struck 9, one of the Hufflepuff students, Ernie Macmillan smartly commented," Oh look! Our first class and the professor is late!"

There were a few chuckles from his friends before a red-haired girl, Susan Bones replied back with," Ernie! I think Professor McGonagall is here somewhere… Maybe she is the cat?"

"Don't be ridiculous! How can…"

The cat chose that moment to jump into the air, transforming into the Professor. There were a few students startled from seeing their Professor right in front of them the whole time.

"Nothing is impossible Mister Macmillan. Do try to think before speaking next time."

"Yes Professor."

"Anyway, glad to see that you all made it in time," Professor McGonagall delivered sternly before continuing. "Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn in Hogwarts and anybody caught messing around with it will see yourself out of this class straight ahead, never to come back."

There were a few nods and gulps by the students as they learned more about the dangers of magic. Professor McGonagall then turned the desk in behind her into a pig and then back again to a desk. She continued," As you can see, this is a very complex Transfiguration that I hope all of you here will be able to achieve it in the future. I turned a non-organism into a living thing. You won't be touching this until later on in your years. As for today, please turn to page 14 of your textbook for reference. We will be learning how to turn a matchstick into a needle."

As she said, she passed down a few matchbox for the students to take a matchstick each.

Harry decided to read the book on Transfiguration now, seeing that he had purposefully ignore all the subjects that he will be learning here in Hogwarts, except Ancient Runes of course since he would rather spend the time outside learning non-curriculum stuff instead.

After skimming through the book, he found out that Transfiguration was a very precise subject of magic at which you would have to picture clearly in your mind the final result you wanted to have with all the details on it, followed with the exact spell movement of your wand.

So, Harry decided to try out the movement of the wand before doing out the actual transfiguration. As it seemed, in order to perfect the spell, one would have to make the exact degree of movement of swish and flick so as to direct the magic in a way to change the object into another object.

The difficulty of Transfiguration depends on how much you are changing the size, density and material. There is a very complex equation governing the magic involved and Harry knew that they would only be covered in Arithmancy, a third-year onwards elective.

However, without knowing the equation, magic could still work its way for simple transfiguration like a matchstick to a silver needle. The knowledge of the object you want to transfigure however is imperative since you would need to see the object in your mind before you could transfigure it. To simplify things, he could break down the transfiguration by changing the material first. In this case, there was not much change in its density and size. So Harry tried working out changing small parts of the matchstick into a needle.

This worked to his advantage since he could stay low from the teacher's radar by being an average wizard, and he could train in his precision of the image created in his mind.

Thus, after perfecting the wand movement and pronunciation of the incantation, Harry then work his way by picturing a quarter-turned silver needle. He did his magic and voila! It was exactly as he pictured in his mind.

Seeing that he had already gotten down the spell, he saw not much need to improve on it any further since this was just a very basic spell-work and it was just to set the ground-work for future more complex Transfiguration. Harry thus decided to read further ahead in the subject so as to prepare for future lessons.

When the bell rang, only Daphne, Tracey and Susan Bones had completed the spell. Daphne and Susan were taught magic before they even come to Hogwarts and thus had an advantage over other students. As for Tracey, she was just good in the practical aspects of magic and such simple transfiguration would not be a huge problem for her.

* * *

After lunch, it was potions with Gryffindor and Professor Snape would be the one teaching them. Harry knew even before the lesson that his life would be difficult since he had an inkling that Professor Snape had a grudge with him for some reasons. As such, Harry decided to try to read as much as possible ahead of the lesson in order to prevent him from picking on him.

"Hey look who's here," Draco mocked at the Gryffindor first year students. "Red-hair checked. Freckles checked. Second-hand robe checked. It must be Weasley."

Draco's band of Slytherins laughed at that statement. Ron Weasley turned red at being mocked. He clenched his fist and shouted back, "Malfoy! Shut up!"

"Oh? Is that your only retort? I can't blame you after all since your brain is so tiny," Draco sneered while pinching his index finger and thumb together to demonstrate the size to the rest.

"Malfoy. That's enough!" Hermione Granger retorted. "We are here to learn and not to bully others."

"Look who's talking! A mudblood!" Pansy pointed at Granger and the whole gang of Slytherins laughed again at them.

Ron decided to act physically by moving forward to try and punch Draco. Before he could hit him, they heard Professor Snape saying, "Weasley! Twenty points from Gryffindor for fighting!"

"But Professor Snape, it was the snakes who –" Ron tried arguing back. He was cut off by Professor Snape.

"I saw what happened. You do not need to explain yourself. Class, enter and take a seat before I give you all detentions" he sneered.

Professor Snape then opened the door to the classroom and the students all rushed in to find their preferred seats. As Blaise took the seat next to Tracey, Daphne decided to sit with Harry in this case.

Professor Snape then came walking in, his robe billowing behind.

'_What a show-off,'_ Harry thought.

When Professor Snape reached the middle of the room, he began in more than a whisper, "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death."

Harry had to admit though he had a way with speech. The whole class was entranced.

Until he decided to question the class. "Longbottom! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?'"

Hermione could be seen waving her arms upward frantically to catch the attention of Professor Snape.

Neville stuttered nervously," Err… You will get a kind of potion?"

The Gryffindors snickered. Professor Snape darkened immediately. "Tut tut. So you think with fame, you do not have to read? Disappointing Longbottom. That's ten points from Gryffindor."

Professor Snape then shouted the next question, "Weasley! Where would you look if I told you to find me a Bezoar?"

"I know this one! In your potion's cupboard!" Ron replied with a grin.

"Ten points for not answering the questions correctly and another ten points for your cheek."

Professor Snape continued," Potter! What's the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?"

Harry answered without a second thought," They are the same plant Professor."

Professor Snape was taken aback by that answer. "Five points to Slytherin. And class, for your information, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons."

The students then copied down whatever he had said for future reference.

"Today, you will be making a simple potion to heal burns," Professor Snape instructed and with a wave of his wand, there were instructions formed on the board. "Follow the instructions. You are given one hour to complete the task in PAIRS."

At that point, Daphne would be pairing up with Harry and she decided to ask Harry if he was proficient in potion-making or not.

"Potter, how good are you in potion-making?"

"This is my first time."

"Hmm…I don't want to give our esteemed Professor anymore reasons to pick on us so I will be taking charge if you don't mind."

With a shrug, Harry decided to follow Daphne while at the same time learning from her and keeping an extra eye for any noticeable mistakes. He had after all read through the book on _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ before the lesson and would more or less understand some pointers on which ingredients would mix well with which and the disastrous combination.

"You will be going to collect the ingredients while I get started with the preparation of the fire and cauldron as well as to take note of the instructions such that they are legitimate. I heard from the others that Professor Snape will try to trick us."

Harry then went off to collect the ingredients for him and for Daphne. Being forced to cook for his relatives when he was young, he knew more or less how to choose for the good ingredients. When he came back, Daphne had given him a set of instructions, asterisk written over several important steps not to miss. Having two pairs of eyes would definitely reduce the chance of mistakes.

"Miss Greengrass, here are your ingredients." Harry gave her share of ingredients over and started preparing to start on making his very first potion. As he followed precisely with the steps – stir clockwise six times, boil over simple fire until colour changed green and more, the final result was almost perfect except that instead of the dark green colour, there was a tint of blue on it. Daphne's potion however was perfect in colour as illustrated from the book.

"There Potter. You see the blue tint, it's a result of your potion not being boiled over simple fire. There is a must to be precise in controlling the strength of the fire. But it's a great first attempt," Daphne commented.

Harry nodded his head, before filling his potion into a vial.

At that moment, there was a BOOM just a distance away. The whole class turned to the source of the explosion and found out that Neville's cauldron had melted and he had boils all over his body.

"Longbottom, the boy-who-lived yet can't even make a simple potion. Useless bumps," Professor Snape said in a derisive tone while vanishing the remnants of the potion. "Finnegan! Bring Longbottom to the hospital wing right away!"

"Yes Professor," Seamus Finnegan, a first-year Gryffindor replied dejectedly and hurried off with Neville in his hand.

When the door closed, Harry and Daphne decided then to hand in their potions.

"Miss Greengrass. Your potion is perfect. Good job. Five points to Slytherin."

Daphne nodded before returning to her seat.

"Potter. I don't accept such incompetent work. You will be getting a Dreadful for this assignment."

Harry fumed internally at that brazen biasness from the potion master, but regardless, Harry decided to just take it in stride like a man and went back to his seat. It was good to stay off the radar after all.

After everyone completed their potions, Professor Snape gave them their assignment of a twelve-inch long work on the simple burn-curing potion and the students went off for the next class.

The days passed like this for Harry. Charms was interesting while Defence against the Dark Arts and Histories of Magic were a total waste of time because for the first, the professor was a stuttering idiot and the latter, the ghost professor Binns just kept going on and on monotonously, teaching them passively. Harry decided to just use the class on Histories of Magic to read up on his own external stuff that were more useful like Ancient Runes and to a certain extent, on Offensive and Defence magic.

Defence against the Dark Arts as its name stated, would be more on protection against the dark arts. Yet when Harry was in the class, he could sense that the professor had a certain darkness within, one that could only be due to over-usage of the dark arts. He could see that there was a much darker tint in his core than his own. Harry knew there and then not to underestimate that stuttering idiot of a professor for he may be a predator.

It was on a fine evening when Harry found out that there many students were crowding around the notice board just outside the Great Hall. Noticing the commotion, Harry decided to check it out as well.

Meanwhile, he overheard, "Ahh man… We are going to be having our first flying lesson with the snakes…" as Ron said to his fellow Gryffindors dejectedly.

Harry decided to check out the notice as he did not trust in that red-headed boy. As the crowd lessened as students went off back to their tasks, Harry went on ahead and saw in black and white what Ron had said previously. Apparently, the lesson was compulsory.

'_It will be an interesting lesson on that day,'_Harry cackled before planning to stir some trouble.

* * *

It was nearly two weeks passed since Harry stepped into Hogwarts before he had his first flying lesson. As according to the notice, the Gryffindor and Slytherin first year students were standing around the open field near the Quidditch stadium.

On the ground was one broom for each of the students and they were waiting for the professor to come. Harry examined the brooms and realised that the conditions of the brooms were very poor. There were several cracks on the handle and the bristles were of awkward angles. Several of the bristles were already broken off. Even without being a broom expert, anybody would know that the disaster would strike.

As usual, Draco Malfoy was boasting to his friends how good he was at flying and that he would make it for the Quidditch team if given a chance to perform. His usual clique was there listening admirably, especially Pansy who was hanging onto every single word Draco said like it would be the end of her life if she missed any.

"Alright First years, please stand next to your broom!" Madam Hooch, their flying instructor came and instructed them.

As the students all stood next to their broom, Madam Hooch continued," We will be going through the basics of flying on a broom today. I don't expect all of you here to get it on your first try. Now flying is a really easy and enjoyable activity for you all but do remember that it can get dangerous if you do not handle the brooms you are on with the correct techniques. So for now, I want you all to say 'UP' to your broom so that you can commander it to your hands."

"UP!" Harry commandeered his broom and at the next instant, the broom listened to his instruction and flew up straight into his hand. He caught it with a firm grip and decided to check out the rest of the first years to see how they are doing.

Apparently, only a few students were able to do what he just did. Tracey, Draco and Daphne were part of that group and Harry reasoned that they must have had flying lessons before they came to Hogwarts.

Ron Weasley was trying his very best to urge the broom to go up to his hand. He was ordering it like a master to his slave yet the broom ignored his orders. It was twitching on the floor, as if telling him that he did not have the requirements and respect to be its master. Ron got quite irritated by that lack of control over the broom and was about to shout several obscenities when the broom handle decided to fly and hit his face with a 'thud'.

As a result, many of the students who saw that were openly laughing at how Ron was such a poor flyer even though he was boasting out loud that the genes to fly was in his family. Apparently, it was him who had the "anti-gene" for flying instead.

That was however just a distraction for our friend Harry who had just snapped his fingers behind his back. Suspiciously, the snapping of his fingers coincided with the moment the broom hit Ron's head. After which, Harry just looked on emotionlessly while trying hard to cover up his mirth.

Once everyone had their brooms on their hand, Madam Hooch asked them to straddle over it and lightly kick off the ground so as to float at a few feet above ground.

Harry, being the deceptive person he is, decided to just look on ahead at the rest of the class while not doing anything showy. At the same time, Draco, being the boastful type was mocking at the others for failing to do such simple tasks even though he had not risen off the ground.

"Malfoy, how about you try it out instead of just talking," Ron said contemptuously.

Ron was already floating a few feet above ground, showing that he was not all talk.

"Weasley, shut your mouth. I will show you who the best flyer is." Malfoy then kicked off without much of a second thought and was a few feet above ground likewise, showing that he too had experience with flying broom as well.

Harry just shook his head at the two foolish students before he, like the rest decided to kick off the ground. Even though this was his first time, he had that instinctual feeling of how to fly a broom.

'_Hereditary maybe?'_Harry mused. Just then, a shout was heard, capturing the attention of everyone on the ground.

"Ahhh!" Neville shouted out when he decided to kick off his broom. Apparently he had kicked too hard as seen by his broom rising up higher than the rest of the students, yet Harry knew it was because the broom was already on the end of its shelf life and would malfunction at any time. Coupled with the poor confidence Neville had of himself, the magic of the broom took over and decided to have fun with Neville, bringing him on a wild ride.

As the broom climbed higher and higher, Neville suddenly lost his grip on the broom and guess what? Gravity took over. He dropped, speed increasing by the seconds and if nothing was done, he would be a splatter of organs and blood when he reached the floor. The students all turned away, cringing in fear for the inevitable to happen. They were too afraid and that their mind had switched off the moment an accident occurred.

_'Stupid b__unch of on-lookers waiting for an accident to happen,'_ Harry thought angrily when nobody was doing anything. It would be roughly ten seconds before a student died. Ten seconds and a major catastrophe would occur in Hogwarts' history because of the poorly-conditioned brooms kept by Hogwarts.

Madam Hooch would be doing something but she was too shocked and anxious to properly cast any spells to prevent Neville from a major accident as seen by her hand fumbling over her robe to get her wand.

Harry closed his eyes, mind centred on his magical core, willing the magic to follow his call. This process shaved off the precious time by a third.

Once he had reached and connected his whole being with his magic, he opened his eyes, directed his magic to slow down the descent of Neville. His whole body was vibrating now as he had to use a lot of power in order to go against gravity.

Magic is a kind of energy and by the laws that governed the universe as Harry theorised before coming to Hogwarts, he would have to put in an enormous amount of magic in order to reduce the large kinetic energy Neville had as a result of gravity pulling him towards earth. At the same time, energy conversion was not efficient at all. Not the entirety of his magic would be used in slowing down Neville. In this process, some magic would be lost to the air drag and burned off into heat energy. Thus in order to counteract the loss, Harry poured in even more magic so as to save the poor boy from premature death.

Now five seconds were left before contact would be made. Neville finally started to slow down as Harry anchored his magic to pull and push Neville against gravity. His velocity finally started to slow.

Three seconds were left before Neville finally slowed down enough to not be splattered into pieces when he hit the ground.

Just barely a second and fortunately for Neville, his rate of descent was enough to just break his bones in the worst case scenario.

"THUMP!" could be heard. Cries of anguish was heard coming from the poor boy as he cradled his arm in pain. A few sighs were let out by the students as they held their breath for the whole ten seconds, hoping to merlin for some intervention. They had their calls answered. The students all flew back down onto the ground to check out Neville for curiosity was indeed a strong pulling factor for them, inclusive of the two students with big egos.

At that moment, Harry was lightly panting from the over-exertion of his magic. He had his restriction to his magic still and thus, the affair that happened was enough to cause him to be exhausted. Fortunately for him, everyone's attention was on Neville, or so he thought.

A brunette had her eyes wide-opened as if her thoughts were correct, then she knew that the intervention did not come from god but from the very boy she had met and who decided that friends were unimportant. She decided to confide in her best friends after that.

"Alright, please stand back everyone. Give the poor boy some air," Madam Hooch ordered the first year students. "Respond to me Mister Longbottom. Tell me where are you feeling pain at?"

A groan was pain was heard before Neville replied in a soft voice," Madam Hooch… Ergh. My right arm… I think… I think it's cracked."

"Could you stand up? I will be bringing you to the hospital wing now Mister Longbottom."

"Yeah. I think I could still move. My legs feel fine."

So with the aid of Madam Hooch, Neville was brought up to his feet. He wobbled a bit but was stabilised by Madam Hooch.

"Alright class, please stay here while I bring Mister Longbottom to the hospital wing. There will be no one in the air from now until I come back. Is that clear?" Madam Hooch said in a loud voice.

"Yes Madam Hooch," was the collective replies heard from the students.

As she walked away with a limping and unsteady boy, the chattering among the students began as they discussed about the incident before.

"I tell you, he should die instead of just walking away with an injury," Malfoy sneered to the rest of the students.

Ron being the hot-headed boy, could not hold back his tongue from that.

"Malfoy! I know you are a coward. You are just scared that the boy-who-lived will one day come and kill your death-eater father aren't I right?" Ron insulted back.

"Weasley. My father is a respectable man of honour. Unlike yours who only fiddle with muggle toys like a little baby. Poor Weasley can't even afford to buy a set of robes."

"YOU! You say that again and I will blast you off from where you are!" Ron pronounced with fury before taking out his wand and pointing out at Draco.

As a result of that action, the rest of the Malfoy's cohort drew their wands as well against the threat by Ron.

"HA! You think you can take us all at once? You Gryffindors are idiots and can't fire off a proper spell." Draco proclaimed to the rest of the Gryffindor students as they, too, drew their wands against Malfoy.

"Now see where the majority is Malfoy?" Ron laughed openly as there were a few Slytherins like Harry, Daphne and Tracey who did not draw their wands at all while the whole of Gryffindor including Hermione, the teacher's pet in fear of being ostracised from his house drew.

So, the battle for their houses' pride was about to be initiated from the smallest of movement from either sides. They were all tensed up and prepared to attack and counter any of the spells from the other party.

Meanwhile, Tracey pulled Daphne along with her to a distance away from the main group.

"Daph, I think Potter was the reason for why Longbottom did not die," Tracey whispered to Daphne.

Daphne's eyes widened at that innuendo before replying," Explain."

"I saw Potter panting lightly after the affair. What's more, I didn't see him using a wand at all!"

"Are you insinuating that he, a first year student have that extent of control in wandless magic?"

Daphne was outright appalled at the ludicrous idea of Harry using such advanced wandless magic.

"I don't know Daph. But I have a feeling that there is more than meets the eye."

"Hmm… I can't deny that Trace… He is definitely hiding something. Let's inspect closely on this matter shall we?"

"Alright Daph."

The two girls decided to walk back and that was when a clap was heard. Heads were turned straight away to the source. Harry Potter was there clapping at everyone. Several of the students were puzzled at why he would be clapping, while the more fickle ones were still primed to attack should any signs of aggression be seen.

"Potter," as always, Ron started with his speech," You should come join us Gryffindor and get away from the snakes. You could be great in the house of lion you know? Your family is always in the light."

"Shut it Weasley," Draco went off. "As much as I don't like you Potter, we Slytherins stick together. I don't expect you to betray us because if you do, you will be seeing stars."

Harry scoffed. "There was a crisis that almost occurred moments ago and here you all go about again trying to fight. I do rather enjoy my peace."

From what Harry said, some of the students lowered their head in shame, which included most of the girls. The boys however were still as belligerent as ever.

"How about you ask them to lower their wands first Potter!" Theodore Nott howled out.

"No way would we let you snakes assault as should we lower our guards!" Dean Thomas shouted back.

"Then there is no reason for us too as well!" Pansy screamed.

Harry just shook his head and sighed at the perplexity of how absurd the situation could get as a result of the long-fashioned rivalry between the two houses. Fortunately, there was no trading of spells yet.

At which, Draco finally looked down on the ground and saw a transparent sphere of an object. It was next to his feet so he picked it up.

"Look what do we have here? A Remembrall dropped by that stupid boy!"

"Give that here now Malfoy!" Ron pointed out with his the other hand, palm faced upwards.

"You think I'm stupid or what? If you want it so much, come and get it!" Draco decided to store his wand into his robe, mounted his broom and flew into the air.

The split decision made by Ron being the lion was to follow brashly. He was held back by Hermione.

"Ron! You could get expelled!" Hermione tried reasoning out with her peer.

"Hermione, get off me! Neville is my friend and I don't want him hurt because of losing the Remembrall given by his gran."

"But –," Hermione tried in vain as Ron flew into the skies unsteadily.

"Hah! Look at that Weasley. You are pathetic at flying and you want this back?"

"Stop with your nonsense and give it back now!" Ron shouted back.

"Of course I will. If you can catch it that is," Draco cackled evilly before pulling back his arm and throwing the object as far as he can towards Hogwarts.

Being a Gryffindor, Ron was a brave man. He heard courage in heaps. Yet he was born with a brain that could only think straight. He thus gave into his emotions and instinct, flying towards the object with that vanity and obstinacy of his.

He flew, closer and closer he got to the object in flight. His mind was focused totally on it, ignoring his periphery. A tunnel vision was created towards the target.

Ten feet.

Five feet.

Two feet.

His hands were stretched, ready to grasp the supposed flying object, before he felt pain and heard the sound of glass breaking. Or did the sound of glass breaking came first? His mind could not comprehend. He was just contented to give himself into darkness to escape from the pain.

* * *

Professor McGonagall was marking the scripts written by the first year students. She was disappointed at several of them, especially that of Ron Weasley. She could see the blatant copying of his work from Hermione. She was contemplating on what she should do to him. Should she give him extra tutoring lessons? Without a doubt, the work would be a Troll for he had not even put in an ounce of an effort to even change the wordings of his script.

So, she decided then to give him extra attention instead of tutoring lessons since the year just started and OWLS, the first important milestone was still quite long away. That was when she heard the sound of glass breaking. Immediately, she turned over, wand on her hand, ready to defend herself if need be. Little did she expect that the named perpetrator of her headache and of the decision she had to make was right in front, striking into the wall of the castle, before dropping down into the bushes below.

With a horror-stricken look, she composed herself before going to check out what in the world was going on.

The students were all horrified at Ron for colliding head-on into the wall. Some of the girls, especially those of the Gryffindor for Ron was from their house after all had tears in their eyes at the thought of what they just saw. The group of Slytherins though led by Malfoy was laughing at Weasley.

"Look at him! What a spectacular sight! Flying straight into the wall. Serve him right for challenging my authority!" Draco mocked out loud.

Harry could only face-palm to himself at what had just occurred. _'What an interesting day it is.'_

* * *

**A/N: Just for your information, much of the stuff written here is just my imagination. The dimensions, magical sensing and magic as an energy are all made up by me.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Chapter 4

As a result of his action, Ron was sent to the hospital wing with plenty of broken bones. He was fortunate that there was no life-threatening injuries. The broom absorbed most of the force from the collision, saving Ron from a big trouble.

As for Malfoy, he was given one-week detention along with Weasley for their reckless actions. Yet he said it was totally worth it for seeing that fabulous show of head-on collision.

After that, the days were as per usual. Lessons and more lessons for Harry. He did enjoy them after all as he went on ahead with his studies outside curriculum. He learned a few new spells on his own, mostly dark spells though. He thought that there was no reason for him to hold back on learning these for protection.

Morality is after all based on the context, and there were no evil or good in the spells used, so long you could justify your actions based on it.

Through the books he bought from Knockturn Alley, which included _Introduction to the Dark Arts_, _101 Spells to Torture_ and _Theory behind the Dark Arts_, he realised that the more you use "Dark spells", the more addicted you would be to it. Thus it was vital according to the theory to have a good grasp on occlumency to shield his emotions from getting obsessed over those spells of the darker nature.

One of the spells was the bowel-constricting spell, _botellus constrictus._ This spell had the effect of causing cramps in the intestinal area for the enemy. If used with such great force, the bowels of the intended target would implode upon himself, pulling other organs out of their place. This spell was a time-based spell and will slowly compress the bowels and could be rendered ineffective if the counter-curse was used in time.

Another spell he learned that was considered dark was the blood-vanishing spell, _Sanguinem evanescunt._ This was a wonderful spell that could cause all blood within the human body to just vaporise into nothingness. In a nutshell, the intended target would become a corpse after a certain duration from using the spell. Of course, there would be a counter-curse if used in time that could stop the blood from vanishing. Yet if the magical user was powerful enough, the blood of the target could be vanished in one go, causing instant death. The sight would not be pretty of course.

Lastly, one of the most useful spells in his opinion that he could have in his arsenal – the black hole spell, _lactatus totum_. Technically, this spell would be used on a point in space and every object within the effective area would be sucked towards the eye of the black hole. This was a spell that technically create a tear in the space dimension. The objects that were sucked into it would be exposed to some kind of alternate dimension at which there were no regularities in space. This meant that the object would be warped and distorted at the point of entrance. Once the space dimension could no longer hold anymore object, or if the user stopped channelling the spell, the point of focus would then spit everything out violently with a change – everything that entered comes out distorted. In all cases, no human could withstand that kind of distortion and would face immense pain before collapsing into oblivion. Of course if the user was not proficient enough, he could hurt himself since playing with dimension is extremely dangerous. It would also target every single body within the area of effect regardless of friends or foes.

It was just a week before October arrived when Harry saw Malfoy and his fellowship of sheep – Parkinson and Nott acting suspicious. Bulstrode, Crabbe and Goyle were the lambs, following blindly without any questions.

As Harry just finished his morning routine of exercise and a wash-up, he was walking towards the Great Hall when he saw Daphne and Tracey walking up the stairs. At the same time, just a short distance away, Harry saw the gang of Malfoy walking along the same path.

Immediately, his instinct told him that something was wrong. Trained from young to trust in it, he decided to do what he must in order to prevent an assault or conflict from occurring especially when the party he would support in this conflict was overpowered by more than two to one in terms of numbers.

Without hesitation, he entered the dark dimension, extended his senses with his magic and found out two small abnormalities in the magical field moving along the path towards the owlery in the West tower.

So without a moment to waste, he shadow walked by stopping time within the dark dimension and reducing the distance through compressing of space to arrive at the dark corridor at which the two girls would walked past. He then exited the dimension and waited.

* * *

Daphne was enjoying her breakfast with her best friend Tracey when the owls came to deliver the letters to the recipients. One such owl dropped a letter for Daphne. She thanked the owl with a bacon.

After opening the letter, she read through it and realised that it was her father asking for how she was doing at Hogwarts. Seeing from the point of view of her political and pragmatic father, Daphne knew what her father was asking would be if she found any worthy allies and interesting blackmail materials that he could use in the future. He expected her to reply as soon as possible.

"Trace, my father sent me a letter and I would need to give a reply back as soon as possible. Do you mind coming with me to the Owlery?"

"Sure Daph, just let me finish this last toast."

Tracey stuffed the treacle tart in an unwomanly manner, but not so disgusting as Ron Weasley's style of eating. In the meantime, Daphne completed her reply, stating of the various happenings as well as the lone survivor from the Potter family that had intrigued her since the start. She excluded the suspicion of him using advanced wandless magic during their flying lesson since there were no concrete evidences. Potter was just average in classes though, except for potions where he was improving quite a lot since she was his permanent partner. She would use that chance to observe for any eccentricities that would explain the mystery behind him.

Once Tracey finished with her breakfast, they went off ahead towards West Tower to reach the Owlery through the bridge on the upper floors. So they went up along the Grand Staircase.

Little did they know that they were being followed.

* * *

Recently, Harry found out that when he was in contact with the other party, he could induce a form of paralysis by entering the dark dimension whilst a contact was still there. As the dark dimension belonged to him, his magic was recognized to protect him from harm. But if any intruders were to even step into the dimension full bodied without permission, it would induce some form of paralytic fear to them, shutting down their nervous system and killing their brain in the process.

The moment the two girls reached his spot, he pulled them back and with a new skill he found out with his shadow manipulation, he paralysed the two girls by bringing part of their hands into the dark dimension to prevent them from screaming or rebelled against what he just did. Slowly, he moved the girls who were still facing forward into the darker shade of the corridor.

'_Why can't I move my body? I must do something. Someone is behind us,'_ Daphne thought frantically as she tried her best to squirm out of the paralysis.

'_Oh no! Whoever it is, you better watch out for the moment I'm freed, you are so dead!'_ Tracey thought and was also struggling to break free of the nervous shutdown of her system.

"Girls, I will not harm you so relax yourself. There is no point in wasting your energy," Harry said in a little more than a whisper.

The two girls came to the same conclusion at the same time at that distinct voice which lacked tone and pitch. _'Potter?'_

Though Harry said his piece to settle the girls' mind down, it was for naught. The two girls decided to try breaking out of his control using even more mental and magical force. Apparently, they did not trust him.

"Sigh… If you don't trust me, trust your own eyes and ears then. Look forward and hear for yourself."

Regardless, Daphne and Tracey could only look forward for they could not move any parts of their body. There was a certain murmuring that could be heard from just beyond the corridor. It got louder until they could hear pieces of it.

"–grass will be mine and you can take the half-blood."

"That's a deal then."

"What about me?" This time, a high-pitch distinct female voice was heard.

"You can have your way with the half-blood as well. Greengrass is mine alone for the picking."

'_Oh my god! That disgusting bastard!'_Daphne thought furiously. _'I'm so going to castrate him!'_

'_Who is he to think we are his toy!'_ Tracey thought while plotting for revenge.

When the six students walked past the dark corridor, the two girls saw there and then that they were about to be ambushed if Harry had not pulled them back.

After the danger passed, Harry exited from the dark dimension to release the two girls from their paralysis. The moment he did that, Daphne turned immediately and slapped him, hard.

"Don't you ever to that to me potter! I'm not to be manhandled by you or anyone else!"

Apparently, the adrenaline had not worn off from her.

"Daph! Don't be so mean to him. He saved us a lot of trouble after all from Malfoy and his gang."

"Humph! Even without him I believe I could handle them myself!" Daphne puffed.

Tracey decided to direct her attention to Harry. "Hey Potter. Don't mind Daph here. She is still in some form of shock I believe from being taken unawares. I just want to say thank you for what you have done."

With that she stood forward and hugged him. Harry immediately tensed at that contact.

"What's wrong Potter?"

"You surprised me Davis. This... This is my first ever positive human contact."

Tracey stood back with her mouth opened wide.

"Oh my... all the more we should practice this." She grinned. "You are quite a huggable man, Potter."

Thus, she went back hugging him.

For Harry, this was the moment of his life. He felt oddly comforted by the hug and had a new form of emotion he had not felt before – love. He have not had any parental love before, and this hug was quite close to that he reckoned.

He awkwardly raised his hand to hug back.

"It's alright potter. I won't bite. You can hug me back. It's basic courtesy to return the gesture with love as well." Tracey said cheekily.

Though at that moment, Daphne intervened, "Trace! Are you out of your mind? We are still in the public corridors!"

"Aww… Sod off Daph! I know you are feeling jealous. Mmm… You know Potter, your muscles are quite fantastic." Tracey decided to do as her name suggested – trace his muscles while enjoying the feel.

"Alright Trace that's enough! Potter we will be going now!" she pulled her off Harry.

"We should do this again sometimes Potter!" Tracey waved before letting Daphne lead the way to the next class. It was intuitive to know that there was still danger at the owlery and Daphne could always send the letter to her father another time.

* * *

As the six students were about to reach the Owlery, they decided to ambush when the two girls exited. So Malfoy set upon himself delegating the tasks of who to do what. The girls were to safeguard the corridors and act as the early warning system. Crabbe and Goyle will be standing behind Nott and Malfoy respectively so as to provide them with the assistance of brute force. They waited.

They waited and waited until it was just few minutes before nine. Not a single soul came out.

"Erm… Malfoy?" Goyle stupidly asked.

"Shut up Goyle! We don't want them hearing us!" Draco whispered back.

"Malfoy. What Goyle meant was that it's going to be our first lesson soon." Nott elaborated.

"No way will I believe you. Now where are the girls?" Malfoy retorted.

"Sigh… I wouldn't want to be late for Transfiguration today. Professor McGonagall is very mean." With that, Nott decided to go for class instead.

Seeing that, Parkinson and Bulstrode traipsed over to Malfoy, asking for further instructions.

At that moment, Malfoy decided to finally relent and use the spell _tempus_. It was nine and lessons have started.

"WHAT!" To his consternation, his lackeys were speaking the truth! He rushed into the Owlery to see that it was empty. "Drats! Where are they? Bah! No time now! Hurry!"

Goyle and Crabbe looked at each other as their supposed leader of the little group was panicky. They did the expression unique to both of them – the stupid grin.

* * *

The next few days passed uneventfully, which was a godsend in Harry's opinion. He could still not take off his mind over what Tracey had done recently. It felt good oddly.

_'Is that what having friends would be like?'_ Poor Harry could not fathom exactly. His mind was totally blank over these social issues due to lack of experiences.

Halloween soon came. There were decorations all over the great hall with the spooky theme. Candles and pumpkins were hung around. It was breakfast still but Harry's mood turned gloomy. He had a vague idea that his parents were killed today since his relatives told him that they died horribly in a car crash on Halloween. After all, he believed that they were too dumb to craft an intricate lie to such details that the dates were different as well.

Nobody much noticed his mood of course since his perpetual mask of indifference was still on his face and that the rest were in festive mood for today was the day you-know-who was 'killed'. Neville had plenty of attention to himself as students all thanked him. That poor boy was flustered from the attention.

It was half day today for being a festival celebrated by Hogwarts. After the first two lessons of Charm and Histories of Magic, Harry had his lunch and decided to go to the library in search of the exact article to find out more about his parents.

"Madam Pince, do you have any newspaper articles of 1981?"

With a glare that was her normal expression, she replied," Go down the alley to the right corner of the library. You should find the articles all there. I hope you will take good care for the articles are in a flimsy condition," she warned.

Harry followed her instructions and sure enough, there were a lot of articles ranging since a hundred years ago. He walked down the aisle, finding the year 1981. He then searched further for the date of October to November and took the articles to the nearest table to peruse them

He found the article that was dated 1 November 1981. The headlines were easy enough to spot

_Potter family line extinct?_

_By Elizabeth Miller_

_Just minutes after the attack by the darkest lord in recent histories on the Ancient and Most Noble House of Longbottom, there was a similar attack by the death-eaters on the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter. This reporter was there on the ground to confirm the attack as was seen by the notable Dark Mark in the sky. _

_Godric's Hollow was in flames at that point in time, consumed by one of the most evil curses in magic history - the Fiendfyre. When this reporter reached the scene, there were many aurors there trying to put out the flame in vain. It was when the symbol of light as we all know it by the name of Albus Brian Wulfric Percival Dumbledore reached the place before the monstrous fire could be contained. As of now, it was taken that all the victims within the house at that point in time were pronounced dead. There was a lack of bodies though to account for the family of Potter. It was assumed that the whole family of three perished in the flame. _

_For further details on the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter, please turn to page 3. For further details on the Death-eaters, please turn to page 4._

Harry was in anguish by the time he finished reading the article. He had finally a partial closure to the many questions he had in mind. The dreams of green light which he assumed to be the killing curse cast by the death-eaters and the flame that consumed him and his family was also let loose by them. However the mystery of his life was still unsolved – how did he survive the horrors of the Fiendfyre?

Harry clenched his fist and vowed to avenge his parents by getting rid of those dogs under the so called dark lord.

Motivated, he went on to the other sections in search of more information in duelling for he definitely needed more training guidance. That was how he spent his time until it was moments before dinner. He had no desire to meet up with the students though after finding out that today was the day his parents left him alone.

Thus he went on to the dungeon in search of the kitchen. He found out where it was when a pair of red- haired twins tickled the pear in the portrait, which swung open, showing the kitchen inside.

He had a wonderful meal prepared by the ever- enthusiastic house elves and was about to walk back to his form when he had the most eerie sensation that danger was nearby.

* * *

Daphne Greengrass had a nickname recently crafted just for her alone –ice princess. It was named because she had the permanent cold mask on her face. Whenever a boy approached her to ask her out, she would reject them and in more serious case where the guy attempted to touch her, she would hex him straight into the hospital wing.

There was a contest circulating among the students to see who is colder or more emotionless. No cookies would be given for the correct answer since it was obvious that the contender would be Harry potter.

There was even the rumour that those two were meant for each other for only they could stand their coldness towards one another. How queer indeed. Was it not that opposite attracts?

Daphne thought that she would gladly give the position of the champion for that contest to Potter since he did not even have a friend and that he declined her approach to make friends with him! She felt sad for him for she knew the emotional burden one would have had in the past for such an unadulterated mask to be crafted must be huge.

Then there was the contact when she thought that she was about to be assaulted bodily. She was so scared that she would lose her purity then and be touched upon by dirty hands. She wanted to protect herself and her dignity but could not move even the tiniest of movement. That was when she heard the unmistakeable voice of her counterpart that she heaved a sigh of relief.

Daphne knew that Potter had no interest in her and once her mind caught up with that point, fear turned into anger for scaring her. Even after seeing that he saved her from the gang of Malfoy, she could not control her emotions and slapped him! She felt shame after that incident for losing her composure. What if Potter was not who she had construed in her mind to be? What if he returned the assault on him? Yet in her mind, she could not fathom why she had given up control to her emotions, just like that time in the train. Maybe she knew Potter on a higher level subconsciously and knew he would not return her gift of slap. That she concluded to be the most rational reason in her opinion for being unafraid in slapping him.

What shocked her even more though was Tracey, her best friend hugging him right in front of her! If she admitted to her feelings, she felt a bit jealous for she had not hugged any eligible guys before other. Without a doubt, Potter was included as potential boyfriend material for he did not leer at her and wanted her for her external self and body alone. That was her most basic requirement. Yet he intrigued her even more for being a first to show no interest in her! Daphne would definitely not give up the chance in knowing him better. If only he could let her logical side rest like what Tracey did, she could also enjoy that feel of hugging him.

Daphne did notice that Harry tensed up at being hugged. She was different in that aspect for her mother did love her and hug her. She could say she was not lacking in that kind of social behaviour. It was after the second hug at which Harry started enjoying it and returning it that she felt annoyed at herself for not taking that opportunity as well. So she pulled Tracey off and decided to escape from that awkward affair for her in terms of her emotions. What a disastrous day that was!

Come Halloween, Daphne realised that Potter was kind of off from his usual behaviour when she saw him at the library. Tracey did comment on that fact as well but they decided not to pry into his privacy. When they went down for the Halloween feast, she could not find Potter anywhere. She was puzzled at two things then. One for where he is? The other was why does Potter keep invading her mind? Argh!

"Trace, you have any idea where is Potter?"

Tracey looked towards her surprised and grinned. "Daph! Even without me being your best friend, I would say that you are missing him! Have you really fallen in love that bad with him?"

Daphne in turn had a light blush. She replied, "Erm... I don't think so. Just that I have no idea why he kept appearing in my mind."

"Oh my best friend Daph!" This time Tracey was making fun at her. "You are so in love! Go snuck him into a broom closet and..."

"Trace! I don't even know him! At most it would be a childhood Crush! What's more I think you are interested in him as well as I can see how much you were enjoying that time hugging him!" Daphne crossed her arms.

"Urghh! I... I don't..."

"Whatever you say trace. Don't tell he wasn't in your mind the past few days."

Tracey looked down and acknowledged with a nod," You are right of course Daph... He is indeed an enigma." But her demeanour changed immediately after that. "Ahhh! But that hug was so awesome! You should have felt how muscular he is. I could spend a whole day dreaming about feeling his body from top down..." And Tracey was swooning after that.

With a shake of head, Daphne was thinking to herself, _'Why is life so complicated?'_

At that moment, the great door burst opened with a loud thud and professor Quirrel came running in, dishevelled. "Trolls! Trolls in the dungeon – thought you ought to know." And he promptly fainted forwards.

The whole hall burst into pandemonium. Students were screaming and shouting for their life, panicking on what they should do.

With a loud bang, headmaster Dumbledore shot his wand to get the attention of the student population," Silence! Prefects please lead the students back to your dormitories. Professors follow me please."

The hall quietened down after. There was more of an order as prefects took the lead.

"Professor! What about the Slytherins?" A seventh year prefect shouted out.

"Bring them to the library," Dumbledore ordered.

The students were scurrying around, trying to follow the crowd back to their own dormitories while many are praying for their safety.

If Harry was here, he would think sarcastically how well-trained the wizards are that they could not even handle a troll with so many students.

That was when Daphne and Tracey looked towards each other with a knowing look that they knew Harry did not have any idea a troll was in the school. It was decided then they would be providing some aid of some form in case it was needed. It was time to return the favour by helping him. They would not be like the foolish lions though, blindingly rushing into the battle for glory. Thus they went to ask Blaise for extra help.

"What you two are suggesting is quite absurd itself. Why would you want to help Potter anyway? He isn't exactly your friend so why would you go through all the trouble for him?"

"Zabini, there is more than what is on the surface. We don't have much time so whether you want to come or not, it's your choice. Trace lets go." Daphne spoke coldly while grabbing Tracey's hand and went off in another direction from the main group.

Blaise had a few minutes of contemplation, shrugged and thought that it would be a waste for two sweet and lovely girls to die or get injured. This coupled with the mystery that Harry Potter is made him follow after them.

Meanwhile, there was a similar conversation happening between Neville and Ron.

"Ron! What about Hermione? I don't think she knows about the troll. We should be helping her!"

"But!" Ron was cut off by Neville.

"The trouble spewed from your own mouth Ron! You should be more responsible for this!" Neville responded furiously.

Without giving him time to formulate an answer, Neville ran along towards where they heard the girl was crying – at the first floor female lavatory.

Ron was stunned for a moment at how his friend became so brave, before following him to save their friends.

* * *

As he exited the kitchen, Harry heard sounds coming from the female toilet.

_'Shouldn't all students still be in the great hall?'_ Harry pondered over the question and decided to satiate his curiosity. As he reached the bathroom, there was that distinct sound of sobbing.

"Miss, are you alright?" Harry asked.

"Go away! Nobody would want to befriend me..." She cried out.

"Well, it would be to your pleasure to know that I'm nobody so would you mind enlightening me with why you are here?"

"That was... Droll. Speak for yourself!" And she continued sobbing hysterically.

'_If that doesn't work, how about let's scare her out?' _Harry cackled evilly at the prank he was about to play.

"If you don't come out in 3, you will find yourself being defiled by a 12 feet troll. I won't be here to save you. 1..."

"I don't believe you at all!"

"2..."

"Leave me alone! Why can't I even get my own peace?!"

"2 and a half."

Hermione stopped talking and just resumed her wallow in self-pity. That was when Harry felt an immense magical core unlike that of a human heading his way. The smell of smelly socks and old unwashed toilet invaded his olfactory senses moments later.

He knew then of how he had been played by fate.

"HERMIONE OUT NOW!" Harry shouted urgently.

Yet she was being her stubborn self. Being brought up like that, she was always able to get what she want and so, the more Harry tried, the more obstinate she got.

"Your loss. Don't blame me if you are unable to see the next daylight."

He went off quietly back to the dark dimension to observe the situation at hand.

All was quiet. Only the slight sobbing sound could be heard. It was only after a while before Hermione heard the sound of thump, thump repeatedly with vibrations felt.

"Hello mister? Are you still there?"

Thump, thump.

Hermione unlocked the door of her cubicle and took a peek outside. She found no beings.

Thump, thump.

She decided to investigate the sound. She tried to creep out stealthily. Key word is tried in this case.

A 12-feet tall creature that had a green skin with protruding spots all around its body came into view outside. It obviously heard the sound of Hermione 'creeping' out.

For a moment, time stopped. Hermione felt her heart beating at double the usual rate, as if trying to jump out of her body. An involuntary shudder felt throughout her body, with a queasy feeling in her stomach. She felt fear.

All hell broke loose. She screamed like she never before, running back to find cover as the troll swung its club towards her. The cubicles were smashed. Debris flying everywhere. Hermione could only hope that what the previous boy who warned her of her predicament was not a seer.

* * *

_Botellus constrictus_ – bowel constrict

_Sanguinem evanescunt_– blood vanish

_Lactatus totum_ – black hole

* * *

**A/N: And now, we are at the troll part for the first year. The plot is kind of slow for now because of the many fundamentals I wanted to introduce like the characters of Harry and Daphne, as well as some illustration on his manipulation of shadow. The pace will increase as we go along the next few years in Hogwarts.**

**By the way, thanks for the review guys! I do agree with you that those were holes in the plot that I did not see. But I would want to finish the whole story first before covering up with all the small little details that I missed. I will see how it goes and edit along the way. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Neville Longbottom hated attention. Ever since he survived the wrath of the dark lord and killed him, his life was changed forever.

He remembered that he had a loving mother and father who would play with him and shower him with parental love when he was a baby. Yet that very fateful night during Halloween, the dark lord came and tortured his parents into insanity.

His grandmother who was not in the manor at that time was spared. Ever since then she changed into a 'tiger' grandmother as the Chinese saying goes. She expected perfection for everything. Instead of Frank Longbottom, his father, his grandmother put her whole weight into ensuring the scion of Longbottom would be prepared to take over the helm in due time. Due to her fragility and age, the reagent Longbottom knew she did not have much time to live.

To prepare for the worst case scenario, she had to push all the work forward so that her grandson was ready to take over as lord when the time comes.

As a result from the overbearing pressure entrusted on his shoulder, Neville retreated into a shell created by himself. Without much parental love and praise, his self-esteem dropped. But within that boy was a bravery hidden behind.

It was that night when Hermione could die from the threat that his bravery, the one that got him sorted into Gryffindor came out.

When Ron and Neville reached their intended location, they heard piercing screams coming from the lavatory with the troll swinging his club about. Immediately, Neville like a brave little lion, tried catching the attention of the troll by throwing a debris large enough at the troll.

"Hey you ugly bastard! Look here!" Neville shouted, waving his arms wildly.

The troll turned, wondering what hit him. It saw a black and a red moving object that seemed yummy especially the black one with plenty of meat for it. Thus, the troll decided to forgo the long-haired food that had not much meat at all. It looked menacingly towards the boys.

"Err Ron... I think we are in trouble." Neville felt his adrenaline waning off bit by bit as the troll towered over him by more than twice his height. He felt stupid for charging into the situation blindly.

"Nev mate? Are we going to die?" Ron turned to Neville, his face was pale at the look given by the troll.

Without a moment's hesitation, both boys reached the same conclusion.

"RUN!" They shouted together, evading successfully when the troll tried clubbing the two boys while sprinting away for their lives.

Seeing the troll distracted, Hermione came out of the lavatory. She saw it chasing after the boys. Momentarily, she was dazed at the thought of her almost knocking death's door early. Once she caught her composure, she knew she had to do something. The first thought that came to mind –inform the professors and get help.

The troll was keeping up with the boys. They had turned about the corner and were about to reach the stairs up to the entrance hall when they saw three students coming down along the same path. They were all wearing robes with silver and green lining.

"Run! There's a troll after us!" Neville shouted out frantically as he and Ron headed towards their direction. At that distance though, coupled with his breathless state, his voice could not reach the three students who stopped at seeing them.

"What are they doing here and why are they running?" Tracey asked her two friends, unaware of the danger yet.

"I have no idea." Daphne replied.

At that juncture, the three students saw an enormous creature coming out from the corner. It was lumbering at quite a frightening pace with its large stride towards them. They finally understood the situation at hand.

"Daph," Tracey murmured, a child running down her spine. "I always thought that trolls were just creatures. Now, I beg to differ seeing it in real."

"Trace, do you see Potter anywhere?"

Hearing that, she looked around in search of the said boy.

"Nope. Just those two with a frenzied troll COMING on us!"

"Well then I say it's NOT our battle to fight," the ever cool and calm Daphne stressed.

"I agree!" Blaise decided to add in. "Time for a tactical retreat!"

With that, they retreated and ran up the stairs. The two boys had caught up by then. What this meant was that the troll was just right behind.

Little by little though, the troll was catching up. Fortunately, the stairs were built not for such large creature, slowing the troll down as it tried balancing itself while chasing its meals. It was even more adamant in catching its preys now that there was five.

"Girls! I think… we should do… something. It is… catching up! And… we can't… go on forever… like this," Blaise huffed.

"What! Please… suggest… an idea!" Tracy puffed.

"Was thinking… pushing… downstairs"

"But… magic-resistant!"

Daphne cut in, "We try!"

As they reached the second floor, they ran out into the corridors followed by the two boys.

Daphne tried catching her breath in respite before asking, "You two know the bludgeoning curse?"

"Nope!"

"No! Blimey why… are we stopping?" Ron spoke while catching his breath.

They could hear the troll on the second last flight of the stairs and was about to reach their position.

Daphne continued," You two! Bait the troll to the balustrade!"

"Why do we have to listen to you snakes! Why are we –" Ron retorted but was cut off.

"Do you want to live or not? Do it now!" Daphne coldly ordered them, showing that her moniker of ice princess was well-earned.

At that moment, the troll was on its last flight of stairs.

"Ron, let's just follow as what she suggested!" Neville proposed urgently, hoping his friend would make sense of the dire predicament they were in.

The three Slytherins went to hide in a corner. It was then the troll reached their position, just shy of a few steps. It stopped briefly wondering where the extra meals went to, before its frenzied state took over.

Like a pitcher, it gained momentum by moving forward with its arm holding the club reared back. At the very last step, it swung with all its strength downward onto the boys' position.

Having prepared for this, they leaped for their lives to the side, ending up in a roll.

Without giving the troll a chance to regain its momentum, three shouts of "_Vercundas_" were heard, followed by the blue bolts hitting the troll. It jerked back as if it was knocked by a large object but were still able to maintain balance on the ground with a foot still planted firmly.

"_Vercundas_!" Another three bolts of curse flew towards the slightly imbalanced troll. This time it swayed towards the balustrade which prevented it from falling. The troll grunted.

"_Vercundas_!" The troll was rocked back. There were cracking sounds as the balustrade could not hold the troll's weight any further. It was at its final equilibrium of balance. Just a wee bit more and it would collapse totally.

"One last time!" Blaise shouted weakly. The three of them were exhausted from pouring in much of their magic in order to power the curse to overcome the weight of the troll. Yet they knew it was now or never.

Pouring in the last bit of their magic that would still allow them to remain conscious, they shouted," _Vercundas_!"

Puzzling though, there were four bolts of spells this time flying towards the troll. Where did the fourth bolt come from? Nobody noticed the bizarre occurrence as they were panting in exhaustion. The adrenaline was still pumping in their body which prevented them from thinking clearly.

The balustrade cracked and gave way.

A resounding 'thud' heard as the troll finally reached its final destination.

Neville and Ron looked over then destroyed balustrade and saw the final resting position of the troll. It was splayed on the ground unmoving. Just then, a female professor could be seen jutting her head out from the entrance hall. Professor McGonagall was there beckoning them to come down at that instance.

The boys looked at each other and shrugged.

"Let's tell the Slytherins to come down as well, shall we?" Neville suggested.

As they turned around, they found out that there was nobody there.

"Wait a minute… Where are they?" Neville asked Ron.

With a shrug, Ron replied," Dunno. Must have slithered away like a snake."

"Ron! They helped us!"

"But they are still dark! They killed the troll!"

"Why do I even try?" Neville said more to himself this time, shaking his head at the fervent bigotry Ron had of Slytherins.

As they walked down the stairs, the boys both saw a wand floating in mid-air. But that was the last thing they saw before they had no memory of that baffling scene.

Neville had the weirdest sensation of somebody in their mind. It was subtle enough that Neville just took it to be the case of the scar reacting in an unknown manner to him.

Little did they know that their actual memories of what transpired before would be buried deep in their mind, unknown to even themselves.

When they reached the hall, they could see the prone position of the troll. Underneath it was a puddle of green viscous fluid that could only be its blood.

Neville grimaced at that thought. He just killed the troll.

"Yuck! That is gross!" Ron commented.

Hermione saw them and immediately went to hug Neville followed by Ron.

"I'm so glad to see you two safe and alive. I was so afraid..." Hermione began, before sobbing yet again.

"Err... Blimey. Hermione, I'm sorry." Ron stuttered, his mind unable to function at that moment. He was just hugged by a girl who was crying at the moment.

"Ron, it's alright. We are all… alive and that's the most important thing isn't it?" Hermione sniffed. "Thank you Neville. Thank you Ron once again for saving my life."

"It's not a problem Hermione. We're friends and that's what friends are for."

Neville was about to continue but was cut off by a professor who coughed to get their attention. They turned around and saw the whole lot of professors standing by them. Headmaster Dumbledore was there as well.

"What were you three first years doing out there? Do you know how dangerous it is? This is a matter if life and death!" Professor McGonagall reprimanded them.

"Now now Minerva, please calm down. Let us find out what exactly happen first shall we? Mister Longbottom?" Headmaster Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement at how motherly the head of Gryffindor house could get.

"Erm Headmaster Dumbledore... We were just trying to save Hermione. But then, there was the troll that began chasing after us relentlessly. So we tried climbing up the stairs. Somehow or another, the troll caught up and we pushed the troll accidentally with our magic." Neville started nervously, hoping that he would not get into trouble. He was looking down on the floor the whole time.

"Mister Longbottom, don't get too worried over this matter. You were in an act of self-defence," Headmaster Dumbledore began, his caring persona taking over. "Did you use an actual spell?"

"That is outrageous! How could two first years do what many experienced wizards and witches could not do by themselves in overpowering the troll?" Professor Snape questioned the headmaster without giving the boys any chance to explain. "If I were to reckon a guess, I would say the troll was too afraid of becoming infected with the brainless disease from these dunderheads."

"Severus! How could you say that!" Professor McGonagall retorted.

"How about if we try to give these boys over here a chance to explain themselves?" Professor Flitwick tried placating the situation. It worked and the professors had their attention on the two boys once again.

"Sir, actually it was an accidental magic cast by Neville." Ron answered this time.

Neville elaborated with," Professor... I think it occurred when I was too scared. I thought I was going to die and the next thing I knew, the troll was tripping backwards and falling down to the great hall..."

The professors were sceptical at how Longbottom could perform such a powerful accidental magic and at such an age. Usually, as wizards gain more control, the times of outbursts from within the core would reduce logically.

Headmaster Dumbledore began stroking his beard, wondering at the significance of what had just transpired. He decided to look into the matter further. "Mister Longbottom, do you remember anything distinctive at all during your outpouring of magic itself?"

"Well… I do not know. I was so afraid that I closed my eyes. When I thought I was about to die, I heard the sound of balustrade breaking, and the next thing I knew, the troll was there on the ground.

"Weasley! Anything to add? You were there on the scene as well. Surely you could remember something?" Professor Snape sneered.

"Err… I dunno? I don't remember anything special."

"As expected from you. Ten points from Gryffindor for being such a useless bum." Professor Snape ridiculed him.

"Severus! He is just a kid! How could you be so harsh on him?" Professor McGonagall responded.

"This is nothing! I expect highly from my house and you should do the same as well! Obviously, the brat in front of you is a travesty in itself."

"You are going too far this time Severus. What did he do to you to warrant such awful words!"

The two boys felt uncomfortable for being in such a situation.

The two heads of house were about to continue with their argument when fortunately, the ever amiable Hufflepuff head of house decided to add in her thoughts.

"Albus? Minerva? Severus? How about we let them go to the hospital wing to check up on any further injuries?" Professor Sprout suggested.

"That is an excellent suggestion Pomona! I think there is nothing much we could glean from Mister Longbottom and Mister Weasley. They are obviously traumatised from this affair. Well, I believe that closes the case?" Headmaster Dumbledore replied after a pause. He was still wondering about the implication of what young Longbottom did. As the Headmaster, he held more power than the rest of the professors and thus, he walked off without even giving them any chance to decline.

"Alright then. Mister Longbottom and Mister Weasley, why did you two not follow the rest of the prefects back to your dorms? Miss Granger, why did you not go for the feast?" Professor McGonagall resumed her scolding of the three students.

Hermione answered back awkwardly. "Professor, I was... Crying. I did not want to face the rest in the great hall..." Tears decided to stream down her face as she was saying. "It was my fault... Sob... They came to save my life..."

And she broke down again after that.

Neville came forward, lending Hermione a shoulder for her to cry on.

"Hermione... It's alright now. You are safe. We are safe."

Professor McGonagall looked at the scene before speaking, "Alright miss Granger. I will give you a chance this time round. Try not to do it again. If you have any problem, come and look for me. I'm your head of house after all. For that, it will be twenty-five points for your irresponsible action."

"Yes professor..." She acknowledged solemnly.

"As for you two, I will award fifteen points each for your bravery. It is not every day we see someone braving against all danger to save a friend. But, that does not give you any excuse to not follow the orders given. Understood?"

"Yes professor. Thank you professor." The two boys acknowledged back as well. They felt relieved that they got away without any punishments at all.

"Please head to the hospital wing now and let Madam Pomfrey take a look. I trust you three to go there yourselves."

On their way, the two boys began opening up even further with Hermione. They had just survived through an occasion of danger together and that definitely made them cherish each other more.

It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between the three.

* * *

Daphne could not help but sigh in relief, along with her best friend Tracey. Blaise was there shaking his head at how foolish the whole situation was from his point of view. They were all feeling drained.

"Girls shall we go back to the dormitory?"

Feeling jittery still from the whole business before, Tracey asked "Would we get into trouble for killing the troll?" She was a pale at the thought.

"Relax Tracey. I don't think we would. We are defending ourselves from the troll after all. I'm more afraid of what our head of house would say to us at this 'Gryffindorish' act we just did." He shook his head.

"Now that you say… Ah… How screwed up this whole debacle is…" Tracey dejectedly replied.

Daphne was quiet as the two talked. She was contemplating over the options in order to keep the two lions quiet of their actions in this ugly affair.

Now come to think of it, she wondered, _'Where is Potter?' _

They were here for him after all. It was then she felt a hand slithering into her robe pocket. Immediately, she tried to catch the perpetrator and was ready to defend herself before relaxing when she had the same tingling feeling in her whole body.

She knew then that potter was there the whole time but could not be seen. She felt a wee bit of respect for how cunning he is. Opening up the letter given by him, she read through it and gave a small smile with a nod, hoping to acknowledge him wherever he was.

"Trace and Zabini, I think we should go. I doubt there would be much consequences with what we just did."

"But Greengrass…!" Blaise tried to argue back and was cut off by Tracey over-exuberant hopefulness in the situation.

"What do you mean Daph?"

"Trace, do you trust me?" Daphne looked directly into her best friend's eyes.

Just after what seemed to be an eternity for the two, Tracey relented," Yes I trust you Daph…"

"Then that closes this case. Zabini, I'm… We're very thankful for your help but as you could see, you don't have much say in this matter. I won't ask you to trust me, just… know that we are all in the same boat."

He was stumped. There was nothing much he could do and thus, just nodded his head to affirm what Daphne just said.

The three Slytherins then went off, leaving the two Gryffindor behind. They were still looking over at the troll.

* * *

Harry was hidden in the dark dimension when help arrived.

He saw how the two Gryffindor boys attracted the attention of the troll and saved the poor girl. Yet when the troll fell to their taunt, they had no plans at all. Harry decided to only intervene when it was required to do so. No point letting other people know about his abilities.

Thus he followed them and that was when he saw Daphne, Tracey and Blaise. He knew then they had come looking for him. He cursed himself for getting too close to the girls.

At least they had common sense in running away from the troll or so he thought. In actual fact, it was because the person they were looking for – Harry himself was not around in the vicinity. Yet the escape was in vain when they suddenly stopped running up the stairs and the troll caught up.

It was ingenious of Daphne to try and overthrow the troll yet foolish for her to assume the troll would not withstand the force from them. They were quite exhausted after sending three overpowered bludgeoning curse in a bid to overpower the troll. Thus he knew he had add in his own overpowered bludgeoning curse as well, tipping the troll backwards finally into oblivion.

Harry was there listening to the three Slytherins conversing with one another in trying to find a solution to hide their deed in the Troll event. He was thinking as well to find a way to help his fellow Slytherins, or more so, the two girls who came for him. He hated it when he endangered someone just by being himself. It was a bad feeling, and he learned to trust on his own intuition after years of abuse.

That was when an idea came to his mind. He remembered the spell that could definitely help from one of the tome containing dark spells used from the past which he bought from Knockturn Alley at quite an exorbitant price.

_The memory spell, Adicio Falsissimum memoria, had been used extensively in the past as a mild and temporal way to quench the fear as a result of traumas. It is a safer alternative as opposed to its counterpart, the much oft used spell, the forgetfulness charm – Obliviate. This spell works by adding a fake memory into the recipient's mind instead of just wiping off the memory causing despair and anguish. Usually, it would be used in conjunction with the memory ignorance spell, memoria negligo. These spells work together to allow the recipient to thrust those memories into the back of the mind and replace them with the false memories added. _

_Without a doubt, the benefits coming from using this milder version of memory spells would be that if the recipient did want to recall back their own memories, they could reverse the effect easily by casting the counter spell for that of the memory ignorance spell. With two memories happening in the same time frame coupled with the willingness of the user in remembrance of the actual memories instead, the natural defence in his mind could destroy the false memories added. This is as opposed to the forgetfulness charm which instead, requires an extensive work by memory healers._

_There are some ways for wizards and witches to know if such a spell had been cast to the said person. One of the most known and often used method would be the Legilimency, the art of entering another person's mind. If the Legilimens were to force his way into the affected wizard's mind, he will be able to find out any form of false memories added by the fact that the actual memories were being covered by foreign spells._

It was decided that he would be using those spells. He did try using it on himself before as an experiment. It worked and if he ever wanted, he could erase the pain and anguish from the abuse by his relatives the past ten years. Yet Harry was different in that he wanted to remember it as a form of reminder that the defenceless will always be triumphed over by the strong.

He wrote over a piece of conjured paper just a few words and placed it in Daphne's robe pocket. Harry could feel her reacting to his action and to show her he was not an enemy, he used a part of his finger to get in contact with her skin, pulling it slightly into the darkness and inducing the invasion system by a spark through her nervous system.

Harry saw Daphne's shoulder relaxed and he moved back, waiting for her to read the message he sent. When he saw her nodding slightly, he went off into the shadows of the two boys, waiting for the moment to strike.

When they started moving downwards to the first floor, Harry shadow walked to the middle of the stairs down where the shadows of the boys cast by the torch would now be in front of them instead, allowing him eye contact, one of the requirements of the spells. He willed the darkness away from his wand, letting it show to the boys.

Once the boys saw the puzzling situation of a floating wand, they had fallen into the trap as Harry purposefully situated himself that his eyes would be where the wand was.

He could only hope that nobody would be dumb enough to try using Legilimency on the boys, or that the boys will not be learning the art of defending their own mind, Occlumency any soon.

* * *

As the days went past, temperature as a whole started dropping. Leaves started shedding in order to survive the harsh weather that was to come. The students of Hogwarts though started piling on thicker and warmer clothes. The usual robe they wore for day in and out activities were not enough.

But magic made a compelling case for these wizards and witches to forgo with the customary habit of keeping themselves warm through thicker winter wear. They used the warming charm which basically did as its name suggested. The spell was thought to the first year students during the week after Halloween in charms to prepare the students for winter. They had lessons on the casting the fire-making spell, _Incendio_ as well in case it was ever needed.

Overall, there was a more joyous mood among the students as the festive season was here once more. Classes were taught as usual, and even the dreary subjects like Histories of Magic with its perpetual monotonous droning of Professor Binns and Defence against the Dark Arts with its useless stuttering Professor Quirrel could not dampen the happiness of the students.

It was on this very fateful evening that Harry saw Tracey entering the great hall alone. Now that was an unusual sight. She was always with Daphne as Harry noticed for dinner. It did not go unnoticed for some of the students in Slytherins and the rumour mills started its work once again.

Ever since Halloween, Harry started warming up by a bit subconsciously towards the two girls whom had entered into the complexity known as his life. They had willingly disobeyed orders to come look for him when they thought he might be in danger. Even if it was for the sake of repaying him for what he did, he knew they were willing to brave through the danger for him. He begrudgingly admitted that whatever they had done was making him feel weird inside. It was something new for Harry and he did not know how to react to it.

As Tracey was heading towards his direction with purposeful stride, Harry pretended not to notice. It was more of a habit now that he lived by some of the tenets proposed by the book on deception –do not look into the eyes of the dragon for it will be the last thing you do.

He hoped that the 'dragon' did not come looking for him instead. He was rather relishing in the peace he had ever since the Halloween troll event and wished that the girl would not be breaking it.

Harry saw from his peripheral vision that she was distraught and by logical means, it had something to do with the missing girl and by extend, him. Somehow or another, their lives were connected by the threads of fate and he did not know the reason why it was as such.

It was for naught.

"Hello Potter." Tracey had sat opposite of him. She looked rather odd tonight. Her usual pony-tail hairstyle was now frazzled and let out. If he were to reckon a guess, he would say that Tracey was in a quandary with some argument with her best friend. But when was Harry ever good at judging social behaviour, especially that of the fairer sex?

"Hello Davis. Had an argument with Greengrass?"

She raised her right brow at the question.

"What makes you think so?"

He shrugged, "You are not with her currently."

"Right..." Tracey took some food for herself and began consuming in earnest.

_'Guess some things will never change.'_

As she ate, Harry felt his hope rise as the minutes ticked by. Maybe his gut feeling was wrong and the girl in front of him was just too hungry that she had to leave her best friend who was fanatical about studying.

Just as Harry finished consuming his dinner was about to leave, he saw Tracey taking some food and packing them into a container.

Harry grimaced slightly, with the contours of his face still holding up his emotionless mask. It was quite a daunting task for the inexperienced in making that expression while maintaining one without it. An antithesis in human expression of the highest level – with and without fused as one.

"Are you that hungry?"

"Oh! Those are not for me, Potter. Anyway, I was just about to ask you if I could speak to you in private. It's kind of urgent."

Harry had his hope crushed then. It was a very cruel act to bring his hope so high and then crush it without any remorse, not that she had done it knowingly.

"Do I have an option to say no?"

"Well, if you don't mind seeing my best friend becoming worse for wear, then yeah." Tracey then faked a sob, a finger to clear the non-existent tear.

"You're evil you know. I ought to say no but..."

Harry recalled the moment when they met in the train. Daphne was trying to reach out to him in a bid to extend her hand for friendship. He thought back on the times she gave him advices on the art of potion-making.

"Lead on."

"Come on then!" Tracey's demeanour changed immediately.

She had a hand on the container of packed food and the other hand grasped his tightly, pulling him along.

There were many eyes looking towards the two Slytherins. Some students were even discussing of a conspiracy of them to make love, leaving Greengrass alone. That was why she came down alone without her best friend for dinner. That was just outrageous. But the damage was done and the couple's weird action would be hotly discussed by the students for quite a while.

Tracey pulled Harry along into an empty room and locked it. Harry was just wondering what was so urgent and important that must be said away from prying ears.

"Speak."

"Well you noticed that Daphne wasn't with me tonight for dinner. Question is that I find her behaviour recently to be extremely queer. She said that she had something private to do whenever she was free. As her best friend, I know that something is troubling her to such extent that she will not even confide in me! She have signs of insomnia or depression as seen by her black eye circles. You can't see it because she covers all her tracks perfectly with make-up. I am scared for her Potter…"

Harry thought over her words before replying," What makes you think I could help if you couldn't even do a thing?"

"That's the thing!" Tracey gestured extensively. "She knows me too well that she can expect what my reaction will be if she ever confide in me. As such, if I were to hazard a guess, maybe a friend other than me could help her instead."

"Don't she have any other closer friends than me?" Harry asked puzzled.

"Nope. She is like you. Where do you think her moniker came from? Aside from me, I believe you are the only one that stands a chance in helping her."

Harry was contemplating over whether he should accept this trouble in exchange with forsaking his peace. Without a doubt, he would choose peace over her. But the moment Tracey leaned forward and engulfed him in the same hug he enjoyed just a month ago, he caved in.

"Please Potter." She shook his head before continuing, "No, please Harry... I don't want to see my best friend hurt again."

She was on the verge of crying. There was little Harry could do but to go along for now. His emotions were starting to overcome him as it struggled to take control over logic. It was a first time for so long since Harry had given in to his emotions, ever since that day when he was beaten to the edge of his life for following his hunches.

"Alright Davis, I will try to see what I can do."

She had the vestige of a smile. "Thank you. I got to go now… Daphne must be starving."

And Tracey went off with the container of food, leaving Harry wondering if he just made life complicated with all these weird social issues.

_'Ah damn! There goes my peace.'_ Harry thought to himself.

It was the next day, before Harry saw Daphne at all, walking to the great hall with Tracey. Now that he agreed to help Tracey, he decided to observe her thoroughly. He realised that she did have the markings of dark eye circles. Her posture was slouched and she walked in rather lethargically. He decided that today would be the day for him to unravel the mystery behind the behaviour of Daphne Greengrass.

After breakfast, it was potion. A wonderful opportunity for Harry to learn more about his partner. As always, professor Snape was snappy at every single little thing related to Gryffindors' stupidity. He had some kind of grouch with Harry as well but Harry was fortunate to be in Slytherin for professor Snape would not want to have double standards in his treatment. Harry could not imagine the pain and trouble he would get from professor Snape if he were ever sorted into the house of the lion.

Today, they would be brewing pepper-up potion, a very useful potion. It recovers energy when drank by the user and in some occasion, it could be the difference between life and death. It was fortunate for Harry had read up on this potion before since the uses and practicality of it renders the knowledge in brewing it as essential.

And so, Harry and Daphne began with their own tasks without much word in between them. They were used to working with each other during potion, where Daphne would take the lead and Harry would act as the so called back-up in ensuring no mistakes were done on her part as well.

Today, Harry would learn how important his role was and how lucky they had decided upon the need of him not following blindly to Daphne.

* * *

_Adicio Falsissimum memoria _– add false memory

_memoria negligo_ – memory I ignore

_Vercundus_ – bludgeoning curse (to bash)

* * *

**A/N: I am quite curious though if someone could enlighten me on this point. Does the students receive their letter to Hogwarts if they are 11 years old before September 1st? Say if someone's birthday is on the September 2nd, does that mean he would have to wait all the way until the next year before enrolling into Hogwarts. Am I right on that point? Anyway, there would be more of Harry and Daphne in the next chapter. Stay tune.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Chapter 6

Harry went to collect the ingredients required while Daphne would be noting down the instructions for brewing the potion before giving Harry a set of it. This was agreed upon between the partners for potion lesson.

As always, her handwriting was impeccable and had that distinct style belonging to the Ice Princess alone. It was beautiful in its own way.

He then started reading through the procedure given by Daphne. Today though, his gut instinct was telling him something was amiss. Never doubting it, he looked through the whole list of instructions once again but could not find any glaring mistakes.

_'I guess my skills with brewing isn't that good yet. Let's first brew the potion and if there's any problem, I will find out.'_ Harry thought.

He looked towards Daphne who was as aloof as before. But today, there was that unmistakeable lost-in-thoughts expression on her face. It was very dangerous to be brewing with that kind of mentality as aptly illustrated by Longbottom who had set a newest record according to professor Snape.

"Greengrass," Harry called out, keeping his voice so that only she could hear it. He did not want anything to happen to his partner. It was through her that Harry understood the minor yet important details on brewing.

But the aforementioned person was still deep in thoughts. She was now in auto-pilot mode and Harry decided to just let her be for now. She was a better brewer after all and he really did not want to incur her wrath of telling her off on one of her best subjects.

Professor Snape was once again prowling the classroom, catching students unawares so that he could deduct points from them and to belittle the students with his condescending attitude. It was kind of a disappointment for a professor to be bullying the students. Seriously, in an academic, they are there to teach and not to snuff off the passion for the subject even before it began growing.

As he came over their side, he looked as if he was about to comment on something before he closed his mouth and walked off.

_'That's a first. Maybe he saw that my brewing skills are already up on par to his impossible expectations?'_ Harry could not help giving a smirk as he straightened his back with pride.

He was just about to continue when he realised what the problem was. The number of stirs after adding the bicorn horn should be six and a half and not six. He looked up on the board written by Professor Snape they confirmed his thoughts. It was really fortunate for he had remembered some of the mistakes brewers usually made illustrated in a book borrowed from the library.

Potion-making is an art of finesse. Any small changes to the way the potion is made could result in disasters. Like if he stirred six rounds instead and added in the next ingredient, there would be an incompatibility of the resultant solution with the added ingredient, resulting in a violent reaction. On some case, it could even end in death of the brewer.

Once Harry finished with adding the ingredient after the six AND a half stirrings, he looked over at Daphne and realised that she just started stirring the solution.

Harry mentally counted. _'One, two, three, four, five, six and...'_

Daphne stopped stirring and was about to put in the next ingredient.

"NO!" Harry shouted, moving swiftly in her direction and grasping her firmly to prevent her from adding that small change that could create an explosive reaction.

The whole class turned towards the outburst, wondering what was going on between Hogwarts' Ice Prince and Princess.

Professor Snape came walking after Harry stopped her. He was at the furthest part of the classroom from where the pair was at. It was then Harry suspected that Professor Snape saw the minor mistake and had walked off to prevent himself from getting any part of the surprise that awaited them. It was very infuriating for Harry to learn of how selfish Professor Snape was.

"So it seems Potter that you are taking over your father's trait eh? Attracting attention while behaving inappropriately in class. That's a week of detention for you." He sneered.

"You knew," Harry growled softly, quite unable to control part of his anger. Professor Snape had just endangered their lives. Harry promised himself that he would never ever trust him with anything at all even if he was his head of house.

"What was that Potter?" Professor Snape smirked, before turning back to face the rest of the class. "What are you all looking at?!"

The whole class snapped back and return to their own brewing. In this class, Professor Snape would be the wolf and they, the sheep. They would do anything not to attract his attention. Though there was still some soft chattering among the students as they began discussing about the episode minutes ago. Apparently, their mouth just could not keep still.

Harry shook his head before seeing Daphne breathing at an unnatural pace. Her hand was tensed and her eyes were still blank. He suspected she had some trauma anchored with the way he was handling her but desperate times call for desperate measures. It would do him and her no good if she was to faint from the interaction or if he were to let her continue adding that ingredient.

"Look at me Greengrass. Right here at my eyes." Harry spoke. His hand that was still on Daphne's shook her out of her stupor.

Finally, Daphne looked up into Harry's eyes. Emotions began appearing on her face. It was anger towards him at first before it was replaced by confusion, and finally, slight happiness.

All these took just a few seconds before her mask began sliding back in place.

"Concentrate for this lesson, please!" Harry pleaded her.

Seeing his work done, Harry went back to continue with his brew. The whole incident occurred for less than a minute fortunately, which allowed him to resume his brewing without any significant problems. He decided to just concentrate and ignore Daphne for the rest of the lesson. Having already attracted enough attention, he did not want more of that. Students were glancing every now and then over them. Any reactions to that would be counter-productive in his opinion. Attention was never good.

The lesson continued peacefully at least for the remaining time after his outburst. Everybody seemed more or less eager to get out of the classroom for the sake of gossiping about the latest news that involved the two most emotionless pair in Hogwarts. Neville partnered with Hermione this time round and did not burn his cauldron for the first time ever.

After handing in their potions, Professor Snape dismissed the class. Tracey immediately made a beeline for Daphne, asking her for her part in the episode that occurred. Daphne just shook her head and continued on with that cold mask on. Anybody looking at her would be send back reeling at the look she returned. It was frightening.

They were now heading for lunch and Harry was following behind the girls. Tracey turned back and mouthed the words "what happened?" at Harry, which he shrugged. He vaguely saw the slight turn of Daphne towards him before resuming her walk.

It was hell at lunch. Students everywhere began talking about the outburst that occurred moments ago during Potion lesson. Rumours began spreading like wildfire. The versions of what actually transpired began mutating at an extremely quick pace, changing from the part of just Harry grabbing Daphne's arm, to how they were actually about to make out in the middle of the class but was stopped by Professor Snape. Wherever they go, looks would be send their way – Harry and Daphne, even though they were not together.

The next lesson after lunch was Histories of Magic, which meant time for self-study for Harry, or maybe time for some training in his observational and deductive skills.

As he entered the classroom, he saw a puzzling sight. Tracey and Daphne were sitting on different sides of the room. Now that was as unnatural as saying Ron Weasley does not dwarf down his food like a pig. Merlin knows those two were so close that it would take a thousand horses to pry them apart.

Though he wanted none of those, Harry was already situated in the middle and was the vital piece in the puzzle that could help resolve the rift in between the two best friends. Furthermore, he had already promised to try his best to help Daphne.

He walked towards Daphne, wanting to take that empty seat beside her and to try his way into finding out what exactly happened between the two best friends. But the moment he was about to pull out the chair, Daphne gave him a death stare. A hidden message was passed that stated if you want to die a horrible death, pull it.

Harry just gave a shrug and retreated immediately. It was not worth the trouble and he spun around, heading towards the person who was the reason for all these meddlesome tasks – Tracey.

Unlike her cold best friend, Tracey gave him a warm smile when he approached her. It was very much more inviting in his humble opinion.

"So ... What's happening between both of you?" Harry started. Unravelling a mystery is always fun, but finding out why a girl behaved that way – that was just burdensome.

"Oh... Just this and that..."

Harry deadpanned, "That was helpful. Don't forget you are the one that enlisted me to help Miss Ice Princess over there."

She chuckled lightly. "That's true. Anyway may I call you Harry?" She looked at him sweetly.

Harry just shrugged. "I don't really care. Unless you forgot, I introduced myself as that during the train ride here."

At that moment, Professor Binns started with his monotonous droning. He had a body clock apparently even when he was a ghost. Quite a remarkable feat. But the two just continued with their talking.

"Oh yes that was before we even knew you were a Potter! Alright then Harry. It sounds better than calling you Potter."

Harry rose an eyebrow.

"You were so emotionless and cold!" She replied, gesturing wildly about before adding as an afterthought, "and scary too..."

"What about your best friend? Is she not?"

She scrunched up her face, recalling the memories she had. "To be honest, not as much as you. But maybe because she was desperate and wanting a friend who would care for her? Or maybe I had spent my childhood with her here and there. As for you, I don't know. I'm curious as to why you want to be alone even until now."

"That is for me to know and for you to guess. Back to the topic. What is wrong between you two? I saw both of you together before this lesson all the while?"

"Harry..." She gestured for him to come closer so she could whisper to his ear directly. "Actually, truth is I…"

There was no sound coming out from her after that. Try as she might, Tracey could not speak at all. She did a sweep around the class before seeing her best friend sitting just behind her smirking.

'_Wasn't she sitting on the other side of the class room? Damn her!'_ Tracey thought.

Harry looked puzzled as to why Tracey did not continue with her sentence.

"What's going on?"

"I can't speak!" she shouted and this time, her voice came out several decibels louder than normal. She had successfully gathered the attention of everybody. They were snickering at her.

"Yes Miss Davis? Any questions you want to ask?"

"No professor!" she replied awkwardly.

The professor continued with his lecture. After that though, Tracey kept quiet. She was feeling embarrassed and angry towards Daphne at the same time for not letting her complete that sentence. There would be hell to pay tonight when she confronts Daphne for what she did.

After the lesson ended though, both girls went their separate ways. Daphne rushed off to the library while Tracey went back to the dormitories. Harry felt perplexed at that. He shook his head at his predicament before going to the library, staying a distance away from Daphne to prevent her from knowing he was following her. Though with her exploding temper now, he doubt she would even care to check her back.

It was during dinner time when Daphne packed her books and went off from library. Harry mimicked her action. But instead of going down to the great hall, she went up the stairs instead. Harry knew he was onto something that was the crux of why Daphne was so listless and bitter towards everyone. He went into the dark dimension and was in Daphne's shadow, following her closely.

She was acting very suspiciously this time round. Turning her back every now and then to check if anyone is following her. The way she acted made her seem like she was a thief in Hogwarts, finding her way to the hoard of treasures she kept while ensuring it stays a secret. Finally, she reached her destination and entered a disused classroom.

It was then that Harry knew the solution to the mystery is finally here.

* * *

Daphne had always been a perfectionist. She never did things half-way through. When she set her mind on a certain thing, she would ensure that if it was within her means, the result would be perfect.

That was how we found Daphne Greengrass, the Ice Princess, the Perfectionist saying to her best friend that she wanted to find a place to practice her spell work. Being a weekend, Tracey Davis felt like lazing about instead and thus, they parted with Daphne looking for an empty classroom.

On the way up, she stumbled upon the empty corridor on the third floor. This made her curious. Headmaster Dumbledore warned them that if they wanted to die a terrible death, they should be avoiding this corridor. Yet somehow or another, fate brought her there. She only realised too late while thinking about stuff that occurred in her life ever since she entered Hogwarts before her legs auto-piloted itself to this particular place.

'_Hmm… Since we are here already, shall we find out about what is the secret that lies here?'_ Daphne mused silently.

Ever since the battle with the troll, she felt more courageous in doing things she would not do before such as procuring some of the more rare ingredients to make exquisite potions that might be useful in the future even though it was more dangerous. It was affecting her whole behaviour and character and that was how she found herself in front of a locked door right smack in the middle of the corridor.

'_Here goes nothing!'_

"_Alohomora_," Daphne whispered while waving her wand. There was a click before she turned the knob silently. She had her wand prepared in case of any extenuating circumstances. Slowly, she opened the door wider until she could take a peek inside what exactly was the reason behind Headmaster Dumbledore's words. She saw a beastly head three times as tall as her with razor-sharp teeth looking at her. Their eyes met and she froze.

Daphne felt her heart beating twice as fast. She knew that if she did not react now, she would indeed die a very terrible death. Instantly, she shut the door just moments shy when the beast came charging forward.

She could hear the sound of growling and teeth biting. It was accompanied by sounds of metal clanking. Daphne walked as fast as she could away from the place, hoping that her legs would bring her somewhere safe.

Her pace quickened the further she went until she broke into a run in the empty corridors where nobody would find her body if she died. Not that she minded after all since there would not be many who would mourn for her death.

Daphne did not know how but she found a disused classroom somewhere in the fourth floor, slid in and close the door. Only then did she begin cooling down. She breathed in and out deeply, engaging the practice of Occlumency in calming herself down.

'_Curiosity kills. How apt that is… Maybe I should share it with Tracey? Nah… She will want to see for herself if she knew about that. I wonder how she got into Slytherin.'_ Daphne chuckled to herself.

As she looked up, it was then she found her sight on the most exquisite mirror right situated in the middle of the room. It was as high as the ceiling with an ornate gold frame. The inscription: _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_ was carved around the top of the mirror.

'_Wow! This is so pretty!'_ Daphne wondered in awe. She went forward in front of the mirror, wanting to see how she looked after that terrible ordeal.

Instead, she saw her whole family. There right in the mirror was her mother and father beside her. They looked at her lovingly. Astoria, her sister was there as well hugging her sideways.

'_Is this… real?'_ Her eyes moistened. This was her family and what should have been. Daphne went forward and reached out for them. She fell onto the ground, completely mesmerised with what she saw. It was only hours later, when the whole sky turned dark before she decided to find Tracey and to eat her dinner. She would come back tomorrow again.

"Hey Tracey."

"Don't Tracey me Miss Daphne! Where were you? How could you have abandon me for the whole day and even lunch?!" Tracey complained angrily.

"I was too engrossed in spell work. Somehow or another I could not perfect it and before I realise, it was dinner time already…" Daphne lied.

Tracey softened at that, "I know how you are Daph… But do tell me next time if you are not coming for lunch with me. I was waiting for you until my stomach was growling!"

Daphne tried hiding her laugh. Only Tracey could be so fervent towards eating.

"I will Trace. Let's go and eat shall we?"

"We shall!"

And off they went for dinner. But the mirror was still etched in her mind clearly and she vowed to come back again the next day.

Several days passed and a rift began appearing between Daphne and Tracey, two best friends. It was on one fateful night when Daphne finally found her way back into the dormitories to find Tracey there waiting for her. It was almost midnight, passed curfew.

"What were you doing Daph?" Tracey asked seriously.

"It is some private matter Trace. Didn't I say it before?" Daphne replied tiredly.

"You did… But I am worried for you. Whatever you had to do, can't you share it with me? I am your best friend after all and I want to share your burden…"

"Don't worry Trace. I can take care of myself. After all, I have been independent ever since my sister was born."

"Please…"

"No!" Daphne snapped suddenly. "I am tired of this conversation. Don't ask me again. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight!" She closed the curtains to her bed and lay down on bed even without changing into her pyjamas.

To say Tracey was worried for Daphne would be an understatement. She was afraid that Daphne would go back to her usual self once again before they even met – the pureblood princess who guards her emotion with her life. Tracey felt frustrated that all these years, there were secrets not even her best friend could know.

'_AHH!'_ She screamed internally before going to sleep as well.

And that was how Tracey ended up the next day going to dinner herself without Daphne. The moment she saw Harry, she knew that he was the last hope in finding out the mystery behind her best friend. They were alike in more ways than one. Tracey had lied to him about the gravity of the situation. She told him Daphne did not come down tonight because of some private stuff. Truth to be told, it was because Tracey could not find her and would not wait any longer for dinner.

She then pulled Harry into an empty classroom, regardless of whether he was protesting or not. Tracey was too hot-headed to consider the consequences of such situation and the immaturity of the entirety of Hogwarts. It was only the next day before she found out what her actions had done.

After blackmailing Harry into helping her best friend, she went back to the dormitories in search of Daphne. She was there, ready to go to the kitchen for some food when Tracey passed her the share she took from dinner.

Daphne smiled gratuitously before consuming her dinner and ending the night after a series of reading and finishing of assignments. Daphne as usual had just come back from the Mirror of Erised as she called it according to the inscriptions on the mirror. She was too engrossed with what she saw than to decipher the meaning behind it.

The next morning, she woke up groggily. She felt very lethargic from all the events recently, more so from the lack of sleep as she while away many hours in front of the mirror. Even yesterday when Daphne came back early after gracing herself with her family so as not to worry Tracey too much, she did not sleep well.

However, she had an image to hold outside the dormitories. Without fail, she went to the toilet to take a nice and long shower before covering-up whatever details on her face that screamed 'I am lacking sleep' with cosmetics.

After they were ready, the two best friends went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. The feeling felt wrong today. Almost everybody in the hall glanced towards them the moment they entered. It was as if they had become the new stars of Hogwarts after the golden trio who apparently was involved with the killing of the troll or so the rumours said.

It was fortunate that Harry was there helping them cover up the truth. She could not fathom herself waking up every moment in face of the attention given like today.

After breakfast, they went off for Potions. Daphne would be pairing off with Harry as usual. Initially, she hoped that he would not be holding her down during Potions. She was a prodigy in it or so Professor Snape always said privately to her. She felt pride from that statement of being acknowledged for her own achievements.

But as time passed, the potions brewed by Harry were getting better and better. He was becoming very precise in his work, so much so that Daphne had to begrudgingly admit, he was as good as her in brewing were they to follow the same instructions. But unlike Harry, she had been practicing and learning potions ever since she was young. It was an interesting subject for her. What made her better though was that she knew some secrets here and there to shorten the time to make the potion as well as to make the potion more effective in its work.

They were to brew pepper-up potions today. Daphne knew it was going to be a piece of cake after her many experiences in brewing harder potions on her own free time. Thus, she found her attention being transferred somewhere else. She did not notice Harry calling her when they started brewing. Her hands were moving automatically, following the instructions written by herself.

As she stirred six times according to what she wrote, she was about to add in the next ingredient when she heard a very distinct and loud shout coming from beside her. She then felt somebody gripping her arm very tightly. She was snapped out of her thoughts. Whoever grasped her was very strong for she tried to struggle and yet, she could not move a muscle.

She began hyperventilating. The way he gripped her reminded her of her father.

_Flashback on_

"No girl! Stop it. The way you are writing it is horrendous! Give me your other hand!" A tall regal man shouted at Daphne, who was a child then.

Tears were seen gathering around her eyes as her father began hitting her hand using a cane. It felt so painful!

"Now we start over again! You better do it right this time or you won't be seeing anybody including your mom and sister for a week! Is that clear Daphne?"

"Yes father."

The girl could be seen biting back her tears and pain as she continued writing. There were blue-black coloration on her other hand. It was shaking uncontrollably. Internal bleeding was her father's method of ensuring his child learn while preventing her skin from tearing so that she could be married off and sold at a high price.

_Flashback end _

Subconsciously, she reacted and looked up to see her 'father' as she felt him shake her arm. Inside her, Daphne began trembling in fright as the trauma came biting back at her. But instead of the cold amber eyes, they were the green emerald eyes belonging to a certain boy she knew. At that moment, she came back to the real world.

She realised that they were in Professor Snape's lesson. Her memories came rushing back at her consciousness before she remembered hearing Professor Snape giving Harry detention for inappropriate actions with her. Anger spouted out of her towards him. She felt he deserved it for touching her in the middle of the class.

That was until the memory of Harry saying the two words "you knew" to Professor Snape that made her anger dissipate. Now that she regained part of her logical thinking, she realised that Harry would never shout in the middle of the class nor touch her.

'_He wanted no friends remember? But why would he grab my hand then?'_ Daphne wondered.

After that, she was in for the most shocking look given by him. He had concern in his eyes for her!

Daphne felt giddy at maybe he would be finally extending his hand for an official friendship.

Then she heard him say those words, asking, no, more like pleading for her to concentrate.

When he went back to brewing his own potion, Daphne was staring at Harry blankly. She felt like going towards him and asking if he could tell her what exactly happened. But the light bubbling sound in front of her dragged her back to brewing.

Thinking back on her actions, Daphne stirred six times and was about to add in the next ingredient for her potion. Then, the thought struck her. She realised Harry had actually saved her from a lot of trouble. From experience, it was to be six and a half stirs and not six as she had written on the paper and followed blindly.

Looking up at Harry, she pursed her lips wanting to thank him before deciding to continue with her brew first.

The final result of the potion was still passable in her opinion though not up to her usual standards. When professor Snape dismissed them, she tried to move towards Harry but Tracey and the class happened. Her best friend came right for her immediately, bombarding her with questions of the spectacle Harry did in class. Then she heard it. Everybody was talking about her and Harry. Stares were sent their way just like this morning.

'_What is wrong with them?'_

A cold mask covered her as she gave a death stare to anybody looking her way.

As to the question Tracey asked, Daphne decided she would share with her that night. The next moment, she saw her best friend turning back. She was curious and that was when she saw harry and Tracey passing on some message without her knowing.

"What was that about Trace?"

"Oh. It's nothing Daph. Just made some deal with Potter."

"And...?"

"It's a secret!"

"Did you...?" There was a disappointed look on Daphne as she asked.

Tracey was clueless though as she replied. "Did I what?"

"Never mind." Daphne shook her head. It was enough for today. She had lost her control to her emotions today. It would do her no good to show that side again in the open. Merlin knows what Malfoy would do to her again. It was fortunate that currently the boys were occupied with Parkinson and Bulstrode. It was gross how those two, more so for Parkinson would throw themselves at Malfoy and his crew of followers.

At lunch, she could hear the loud babblings of the students with most of them talking about the recent episode in Potions lesson. Daphne could hear how people were talking about how Harry was barbaric and cheap to want to touch her in the middle of the class. She felt bad for bringing him down because of her daydreaming but looking over at how cool and calm he was, she resolved to do the same and ignore what the student population was saying.

Then, he came.

"What do we have here..? Greengrass and Potter?" Malfoy smirked at her.

Feeling motivated from Harry's silent treatment even though he was under verbal defamation, Daphne ignored Malfoy and went on eating.

"Hey slut! Answer to Draco when he's talking! Don't you know how to talk?" Parkinson screamed at Daphne.

She just continued with her food. Tracey was not faring well though and was about to retort verbally.

"Gosh the nerves of her! I'm going to..." Pansy screamed and was about to assault Daphne.

"Come on Pansy... She's no worth the trouble today. After all, she had what she deserve already for today. Let her enjoy the damage to her reputation for a while more before we act." Malfoy pulled pansy away while giving them a smug look. "You will get yours soon Greengrass. Maybe you too Davis."

"Yes darling Malfoy." Parkinson gave a sultry look before the two of them walked off.

Tracey deeply exhaled.

"Oh the nerves of those two... I feel like strangling them with my bare hands for calling you slut!"

"Ignore them Trace."

Tracey could be seen trying hard controlling her temper.

"How did you control your emotions so well? I'm trying hard but..."

Daphne held Tracey's hands, forcing her to look at Daphne.

"Follow me. Breathe in and out. Now close your eyes and picture yourself doing your favourite activity."

At that, Tracey closed her eyes and imagine herself in a world where she was a food connoisseur, enjoying the delicacies from the world. Her shoulders began to slump downwards slowly as her entire body started relaxing.

"Wow..."

Daphne gave her a slight smile. "It's all in your mind trace. Whatever rumours and words the rest of the school wants to gossip about, let them be. As long as you are with yourself, it's all that matters."

She glanced sideways towards Harry. _'With you as my guideline of course.'_

As time passed, it was time for the next lesson, Histories of Magic. It was during the walk to the classroom that a group of girls behind Tracey and Daphne were gossiping quite loudly about the recent love triangle of Slytherin.

"Ah! I say it's just Potter's work! He is trying to have the two girls for himself! Do you still remember yesterday when Greengrass did not come for dinner? He was with Davis and they left hand in hand together!"

"Oh! That was absolutely interesting! And today, did you see how Potter went and touch Greengrass' arms right in the middle of class? That is some guy I say!"

"Oh yeah! To know that we thought he was a Potter and history dictates him to come to our house. Yet this happened! With two girls some more!"

The three girls went off another path after that.

Daphne immediately glared at her best friend at that.

"Is that true?"

Tracey had a shudder from the look given, "What is Daph?"

"Don't act as if you didn't hear it. Tracey Davis, tell me as my best friend, what were you doing yesterday night with Potter?"

_'I could not tell her the truth. She will push away him as well. Please forgive me Daphne, it's all for your own good.'_ Tracey's head hung low.

"Yes. I brought him into an empty classroom. We were just talking."

"About what? You better come clean now." Daphne spoke in a low and dangerous voice.

Tracey was a bit shocked. She thought that by telling her that, she would take it in stride and maybe banter with her and let the matter down. But now, she was threatening her. This new development of Daphne being angry at her for talking to Harry definitely implied she was openly admitting she had a crush on Harry. That was something she could not stand for she was kind of interested with that guy as well.

Tracey was on fire.

"You know what Daph? As much as I am your best friend, I have my own secrets and feelings to consider too! I've been waiting for you to open up to me where you've been to every night. Now, it was just a talk with Potter and you're angry with me? You take it as if he is yours to begin with. Who was it that slapped him when he saved us from fates worth than death? What about me? Do you even know as my best friend that I have a crush on him as well? It's not always about you!"

"Whatever Davis." Daphne gave her a cold hard glare before quickening her pace towards the classroom.

Tracey felt angry at how her best friend was acting though maybe it was actually her who was over-reacting.

'_What a blasted day today is. Whatever! I don't care much anymore. My life, my happiness. I will do what I want.'_

Daphne did not notice him coming. She was too distraught from the argument with her best friend and now, her mask was on full-force. When a guy came and was about to pull out the chair to sit with her, she gave a death stare. It was when he went off before Daphne realised it was Harry.

_'Oh merlin! I thought he was somebody else... What friend am I…? I still need thank him for his help during potions'_

Decision made, she stood up and was going to find Harry to sit with. But the moment the saw him with Tracey, anger boiled within her again.

Daphne went to the empty seat behind them. The class was still empty then since they were quite early. The two did not notice Daphne behind. She was hearing bits and pieces of their conversation. And then she heard Tracey calling Harry on first name-basis! She felt a tightness within her chest. It was suffocating.

Just as Tracey leaned forward into Harry's ears, she knew something was wrong and reacted with the first thing that came to mind.

"_Silencio,_" Daphne waved her wand under the table.

No sound could be heard coming out from her best friend's mouth. She smirked as Tracey turned around to find her behind.

She undid the spell once again when Harry asked her what was happening. That was when Tracey shouted out in the classroom, causing everybody to look towards her.

_'1-0 to me,'_ Daphne mused. Although it was satisfying, Daphne felt even worse than before now that even her best friend betrayed her. She felt unloved as everything came crashing down on her after her anger was dissipated away.

Daphne was depressed and thus was unable to concentrate at all on the lesson. Seeing her best friend sitting with Harry was bad enough for her. It was fortunate that she embarrassed Tracey enough to keep her shut for the rest of the class. She did not know what she would do if they were to act lovey-dovey in front of her.

Daphne was jealous for the first time in her life.

After Professor Binns dismissed the class, Daphne went off as quick as she could to the library. She hoped books could at least take away her mind from the emotions bursting through her. Jealousy, anger, sadness and grief were all the assorted flavours battling within the girl.

Now Daphne could only think back on her situation with her life as she stared into space. She hated her family. Her father treated her like shit because she is the first-born and would be taking over him as heiress. Her mother would listen to her father for he is the head of house and had forced her to. Though there were some childhood memories of her mother hugging and loving her, it was all gone when her father began 'training' her.

Then there was Astoria, her sister. Daphne tried protecting her sister whenever she could but it was not enough. Unlike her, Astoria inherited her mother's happy-go-lucky attitude, and their father would always punish her it. Astoria was the fire in the family while Daphne was the ice. She was the only person she could relate to and confide in. Her mother was already under the beck and call of her father.

She could not fathom what would happen now that Astoria was left alone. Her father did not allow Daphne to write any letter to Astoria, saying it was time for her to undergo 'conditioning training' and required a cut off from connection in the outside world. It was more like a brainwashing lesson just like what he did to her. Daphne could only hope Astoria would find someone to confide with just like how she found Tracey.

But again, the thought of Tracey brought more frustration and despondence from her. It was terrible.

From all the books she read, home should be a place of comfort where she could get shelter during times of distress and not a prison for her. Now even with Tracey acting like this, she did not know how long she could hold on. Daphne was at an all-time low and who knows, she might just end this pain.

When the students from the library walked out for dinner, Daphne took this chance with all the precautionary measures in place to visit her haven. Little did she know that she was being followed.

* * *

Once in the disused classroom, she locked the door and cast a privacy charm. It was a spell taught by her father as he deemed it necessary. She sat in front of the mirror and sobbed. Tears of anguish and frustration sliding down her face. The only comfort she had was the perfect family in front that she desired to be part of.

"Why mom? Why dad? Why is my life so miserable? Do you know my best friend Tracey is also giving up on me as well?" Daphne spoke through tears to the image of her perfect family.

"I found a boy who is so much like me. He has no friends and no family. He is cold and emotionless when I met him. Now, I think I understand him better. I wouldn't be feeling like that if I had not befriended Tracy. But all I want is just to be friends with him and maybe someday, something more than that. Ever since that day when he saved us, I couldn't help but think that inside that cold shell is a boy with a pure heart, wanting to protect others from harm. But now, with Tracey..." She began crying more hysterically after that.

For quite some time, only her sobs were heard. She cooled down enough to continue her speech with the mirage.

"I have no more reasons to continue living. Maybe I will be seeing you two soon in after life. Hopefully we will be happy then. And maybe, just maybe in another life, I could be with him."

At the last word, Daphne smiled and took out her wand pointing up her throat. She had not known that this would be the way her life is going to end. A disappointment in life without succeeding in anything. She is turning twelve in two weeks' time and yet she had already given up on life, on all hopes and dreams.

"Good bye everybody. Bye mum, dad and Tori. Good bye Harry wherever you are…" She had that bitter-sweet smile on her face as she began casting the spell to end this pain.

Emotions had totally annihilated her spirit.

"Diff…"

* * *

**A/N: Gotta say this is one tough chapter to write in conjunction with the follow-up. I do not know if I have gotten the emotional and character aspects right since I have not experienced the tough life of those characters before. Its all gathered from what I read from other sources and amalgamated into this chapter. So yeah... Anyway on another note, I am suddenly so into pearlshipping. No idea why but that is the pairing I just love it. Enjoy your day.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

******Edit on 25/04/2014: Did a change to the wordings for this particular sentence: "It was only after half an hour before he was finally proficient enough to gain back his usual control with the magic suppressor working at a hundred percent." Thanks ubetiburn for the heads-up!**

* * *

Chapter 7

Daphne was about to suicide. The spell was on the tip of her tongue, yet she found herself unable to complete it. Before knowing it, her whole body ignored the commands sent by her through her nerves.

She was paralysed.

A hand came out from behind her, lightly taking away the wand she was holding in her hand. That was all she could see from her view point before the hand went back behind her.

For a moment, she was unmoving. It seemed like eternity. Soon, she fell to the ground after being released from Merlin knows what spell was that.

It was denial for Daphne as she could not accept that freedom from the emotional baggage attached to her life was taken away. She was crying again.

"You know, I didn't know you have a suicidal tendency, Hogwarts one and only ice princess."

She knew the voice from anywhere. Without turning, she replied as coldly as she could but failing to do so as her voice cracked out. "What are you doing here Potter? Laughing at me now that you saw how pathetic I am? Just let me die please!"

Daphne did not know why but she had the feeling he was smug when he spoke. "I just might if you give me a good reason why."

This time, Daphne turned around to face him. She could not control herself anymore. Daphne screamed at him. "You heard everything didn't you? Why are you even asking me? I don't want to live any longer! Don't I even have a choice in my own life ...?"

She broke down in tears again.

"I just want to live a happy life with a happy family who would care about me... Like Tracey's…"

He went forward and embrace Daphne. It just felt right to do it.

That action made her cry much more hysterically.

Harry was stumped. Being socially inept, he did not know if he just made her feelings worse or not. But he could feel her arms snaking around his body and according from experience that was a good sign.

It was after quite some time before Daphne toned down emotionally. Though she looked terrible still, it was better than before. Harry let go of her just as she did. He respected her space. They looked into each other.

Harry was about to start comforting her awkwardly with words when Daphne saved him from the trouble and began telling him her story.

"From as young as I could remember, I had a loving family. My mom and dad were always there caring for me. I felt joy and love. I still remember once when I fell down. They were both there comforting me in their embrace. It was the most wonderful feeling. But it all changed that night when my mom gave birth to a daughter. He turned into a monster."

Daphne swallowed before moving forward to lean against Harry. She needed human contact especially that from him.

"It is not that I hate my sister or what, but I despise how the moment she was brought into life, my father became very angry at mother. They were always arguing every night and they did not sleep together in the same room anymore. I was still two years old then and I don't understand what is going on. But the next moment I know, my father was beating me and forcing me to read and control my emotions."

Harry could feel her pain. Her whole body was shaking against his. This time, Daphne took one of his arm and place it over her shoulders, wishing to be embraced and protected from her frightening memories.

"I was terrified. I felt pain for the first time but he did not care at all. I was five years old before he stopped hitting me every day. I had been able to control my emotions since then. Then the lessons for etiquette, dancing and writing came. Writing lessons were a nightmare. He would hit my entire hand so much and all I felt was pain and more pain! But my sister..."

Daphne shook her head.

"She is such a brat that my father would punish her just because she could not control her emotions at all like he did to me in the past. But I care for her so much that I would jump at every opportunity to protect her, even giving into my father's sadistic demand of me taking the punishment instead. I fear for her now that she is alone with father."

Daphne fell into a silence after that. Harry had a better understanding of Daphne now. She was not so different from him after all. But there was still the puzzling question of Tracey. Now that Daphne had more or less cooled down after crying her hearts out, Harry went on to ask her.

"What about Davis? How does she fit in this equation?"

Daphne cringed at that question. She knew he was going to ask that after overhearing her saying how Tracey has given her up.

"I..."

Harry could see how hard it was on her part to share with him the reason why.

"Greengrass, you don't have to answer. I just want to tell you, we are really much more alike than you know. Thank you for entrusting me with your secret. But know this – however Davis fit into this situation, she is your best friend. Just yesterday, she came looking for me because she was worried for you and tried asking me to help you."

Daphne's eyes widened as she heard of the implication.

"I thought she wanted you to be her boyfriend?"

Harry raised his eye brow at that insinuation.

"What makes you think we are dating?"

Daphne looked down feeling sad at that. "I heard that you were holding her hands during that night when I didn't come down for dinner..."

"Greengrass. We are not even friends, how could we be dating. As an acquaintance yes but friends, nope."

Harry could see Daphne brighten up a bit.

"What about when you two during histories of magic? She was calling you Harry and I remembered she was about to whisper to you something..."

"So it was you."

Harry saw Daphne nod her head from behind.

"Didn't you call me by Harry as well when we first met on the train? We were talking about you actually and her."

"Oh..."

Harry took his arm off Daphne at that point, pushing her off him to face him instead. There was a scowl heard from her as the warmth from his body was taken away.

He could see how red her eyes were from crying and now that her make-ups were gone from the tears, he could see the true face of Daphne. She was definitely suffering from depression and lack of sleep.

"Greengrass. Davis is a good friend for you. Don't break the friendship with her because of me and do not think you have no reasons to live anymore. She cares a lot for you. Have you ever wonder what will happen to her and maybe your mother and sister if you were to suicide? It's the easy way out and don't choose it just because it's easy. Choose a path to walk because you want to do it."

Harry took Daphne's hand and place it over her heart.

"Touch your heart. Promise me that you will think twice before doing this again. I won't be there to save you the next time. Tell yourself you will live a fulfilling life Greengrass."

Daphne felt the sincerity within his word and she could not help but feel heart-warming over it "Harry..."

"Know that you are not unloved. As much as I do not want you hearing this from my mouth, I am one of those few who would mourn if you were to pass on from this world prematurely."

Daphne really felt touched from those words. She took a deep breath and went on to say the words she prepared long before.

"Thank you for what you have done over the past few months here in Hogwarts. I wanted to apologize for slapping you that time when you helped me and Tracey. I also want I thank you for waking me up during potions this morning. And now, come to think of it, I owe my life to you..."

"No Greengrass. You owe your life to yourself. You are a very strong-willed person. Not many could smile after experiencing the harsh life you have. Now tell me the magical words."

There was a slight smile on Daphne now. In front of her was the most guarded person just like her in Hogwarts but underneath it was a sweet guy.

"I promise you I will live my life fully."

Harry nodded and let go of her hands. He was about to stand up when instead, Daphne grabbed his leaving hand with her two hands.

"Harry, I've wanted to ask this question ever since I first met you and... Could I be your friend?"

Harry seemed amused at that.

Come to think of it, Daphne had not seen him smile before and that was as close to happiness she could see on Harry. She vowed that would be the first thing she will strive for if he accepted her hand for friendship.

"You are a very obstinate person Greengrass."

"Please?" She smiled even more sweetly now. The terrible ordeal and depression she had just before seemingly gone.

"I will if you make up with Davis. She is really worried for you."

"Thank you Harry!"

Daphne went forward and hugged him. They were both seated still and it was an awkward position to be in. But she was too happy at completing an almost impossible task in taking the first step towards opening up the mystery and puzzle of Harry potter.

Daphne stood up and was about to go when Harry called out to her.

"And stop coming to this mirror again. It is very unhealthy for you. "

"I won't. Now that I have you as my friend!"

Thus, Daphne went on her merry way out of the disused classroom, hopefully forever. In her mind, she was still affected by the ordeal before. But Harry made her see the world in a different light. She wanted to escape from the pain and burden in this mortal world yet it was not the right thing to do. She could not be selfish and abandon her loved ones. She was expecting him to say she was a pathetic person but instead, he acknowledged her for her strength to live until today. For that, Daphne was willing to keep that promise with her heart and follow through it.

Harry did not understand what was with her though... One minute she was so depressed and all yet now, she was happy.

He walked in front of the mirror, looking to the images portrayed. He thought back of how his life was in the past and how he, like Daphne almost succeeded in suicide.

_Flashback on_

A seven year-old Harry was holding a cooking knife he smuggled into his cupboard room.

He did not wish to continue living. At school, everyone called him derogatory names like freak and all, just like what his uncle, auntie and cousin did. Harry did not understand why they were treating him so badly. He just wanted to play and read books like a normal little kid. But instead, he was bullied at school and tortured at home.

His cousin spread lies about how he was abnormal at school. All the children avoided him ever since for they know he was a bad kid. Nobody played with him. He never gave up hope on finding someone though.

It was that single occasion that made him give up all hope. A little girl had approached him that day in school. Harry smiled at that and followed her thinking she wanted to play with him. But instead, she brought him into an alley with his cousin and two other friends of his.

"Here girl, take this money and go." The girl accepted the money and went off but not before calling him freak.

Harry was sad. His hopes were dashed totally. That day, he was beaten to the edge of his life yet again.

At home, he would be doing all the household work like cooking, gardening and cleaning. He was given far too little food to eat. He tried asking why his cousin had a much larger portion than he did but was beaten terribly for that. He accidentally broke a plate while cleaning it and he was beaten for it. When he fell down from the chair while cleaning the fans, he was still beaten for it.

His whole life was revolved around pain – physically and mentally. But what was worse and the reason that pushed him to this limit was that everyone had that singular thought of asking him to just die and let the world be a better place. Harry gave in to that.

So here we find the poor little child ready to kill himself. He read in a book that if the heart stops pumping, the person will die. That was why Harry decided to use the cooking knife in an attempt to pierce through his own heart.

He felt bitter-sweet at that thought of leaving the world. Without hesitation, he brought the knife down.

It was puzzling though that the knife stopped inches before its target. He could not move. The strength in his hand was slowly drained away and before he knew it, the knife dropped on the floor. It was then he felt comforted by something. That something was coaxing him into giving up the thoughts of dying. That something was asking him to continue living for himself. That something was the darkness, the never-ending shadow that became part of him and he would cherish it for as long as he lived.

_Flashback end_

"Mom... Dad... I will miss you. But I know you are up there together enjoying afterlife. I hope you see how those idiotic muggle tortured me. I hate them so much for the life they provided me. I hate those people who killed you. I hate her father for turning such a sweet girl into such a cold and lugubrious person."

There was a dark look now on his face. His whole eyes turned black, including the sclera. It was a demonic look. He clenched both his fist. The torch in the room burst upwards as the flame mutated into the shape of a Phoenix. It turned from the usual orangish-red hue to pitch-black.

"I swear to you each and every one of them will pay!"

* * *

The next day, Harry saw Tracey and Daphne coming for breakfast together once again. It appeared that they had finally given in and resolve the misunderstanding between them.

_'Well... At least I get to have my peace once again.'_ Harry thought happily.

Today, Harry decided to use the free time in mastering and reviewing what he learned so far. As a master of deception, one must learn to cast silently and if possible, wandlessly. So far, Harry could only use the levitation and the unlocking spell without his wand. Furthermore, as his wand was specialized in dark spells, it would be vital for him to master the art of wandless magic for basic light and healing spells. They would be vital in the future.

That was how we found Harry alone in an empty room after lunch trying to review through basic charms and transfiguration. Harry would also be training his control by releasing the restraints to his magic.

Ever since coming to Hogwarts, Harry had been reading and focusing mostly on the Mind Arts and Ancient Runes. Today, he would be utilizing the knowledge on runes for privacy.

This was one of the most fundamental runic spells he learned from the book. Basically, by powering up a rune written with magic, he could ensure no sound escape the area of intended effect that is this room. Although he could learn the privacy charm, an alternative to this, runic spells are more permanent as long as the rune still hold enough power. For the privacy charm though, you would have to repeat casting the spell once it wear out over time and the area of effect would not be enough to cover the entire room.

After locking the doors, Harry set upon releasing twenty percent of his magical restraint. He could feel the power coursing through him as his magic found back his owner again.

"This power... It's addictive and it's all mine!" Harry chuckled to himself.

He tried levitating a chair with the newly released magic he had. The chair sped upwards and it took every willpower Harry had to stop it from hitting the ceiling.

Slowly, he tried reducing the magical coursing through his hand which was the focus in this case.

Finally, he had enough control to height of flight.

Now, he began training his control on moving the chair to the spot he wanted. It was only after half an hour before he was finally proficient enough to gain back his usual control with the magic suppressor working at a hundred percent.

He continued with the rest of the spells he knew, excluding the three dark arts spell he had learned. They were more for protection and he had not even try it out yet. But there was no guinea pig for him and thus, Harry decided to stop learning the dark arts for now.

Now, Harry was going to convert _incendio_, the flame making spell, into a wandless spell for him. He had that affinity with the fire element as well and today would be the day for him to improve his skills in controlling the flame.

_Flashback on_

Professor Flitwick was instructing the class. He was as jubilant as ever.

"Today, we will be learning the flame-making spell! Now I don't expect you all to cast it on the first try. Fire is a fickle element and is dangerous if you could not control. That is why I want all of you to be extra careful when you cast it. Is that alright class?"

There was a chorus of 'yes professor' before they continued with the tasking.

The students were all trying out the spell on several twigs in front of them. Professor Flitwick had charmed the entire classroom to be fire-proof today to prevent any accident from occurring. Most of them were failing to even produce a spark. Only a few, mostly those students who had been taught by their parents were able to produce the flame.

"That looks absolutely wonderful Miss Greengrass! Ten points to Slytherin!"

Harry did not have much trouble as well even if it was his first time. Other than having that special ability to manipulate shadow, he realised that fire would be tame whenever he was around.

"_Incendio_" he whispers lightly. A small flame was produced.

One hand was on his wand still while the other was situated right on top of the flame. Amazingly, as he placed his hand there, he did not even feel the heat burning through his skin.

Thoroughly amazed at that, he decided to play with the flame. He tried reducing it and making it bigger. Surprisingly though, the flame obeyed. There was a light smile on his face. He had not felt so enjoyable ever since the day he found out he had powers over shadow. Fire would be useful as well.

_Flashback end _

Thus, we find Harry trying to set the chair on fire without wand. But he could not do it. Elemental spells were very much different from basic charms. Even though he had an affinity with fire, he did not understand the theory behind forming flame with magic.

_'Maybe I should first understand and master the spell with a wand first before trying it without.'_

Harry cast _incendio_ on the chair this time with his wand. The fire was fed burning from the wood, allowing him to keep his wand. With both of his hands free, Harry pulled out his magic from his core and willed the fire into following where he wanted it to go. Beads of perspiration trickled down his face. The flame began to move in his direction but very minimally. Apparently, his control was poor unlike that of the shadow.

_'Maybe... No harm trying it.'_

He went forward to the flame-lit chair and similarly, he felt no heat from it. The fire began to calm down from its previously roaring state.

_'That's a development isn't it? Trial and error is the way to learning this.'_

He moved backwards again, and there was no change to the fire.

Moving forward close to the flame, he tried willing it towards the right side.

The flame bit him. It was cackling loudly now, mocking and daring Harry to continue taming it when it did not want to be.

Alas, he was a stubborn before.

Harry gave a yelp before trying to put out the fire. Apparently, the 'calm' fire as seen before was now raging upon him, burning his uniform in the process. Acrid smoke filled the room and it was only through instinct that Harry put out the fire. It was another new discovery for him when the shadows in the room took a shape and felt tangible as it enveloped him. This seemingly living shadow was fighting against the flame and without a doubt, the flame was put out eventually when it ran out of fuel, magic and tinder.

The damage was done already though as most of Harry's uniform was singed from the flame. There were patches of hole all over the robe covered with edges of charred robe.

"And that was acromantula silk! What fire was that? Fiendish?" Harry shook his whole body to get rid of the soot. It was a good idea now to shadow walk back to his dormitories so as to prevent anybody from seeing his pitiful state.

But there was limit to its power as well as he found out recently. He could not go through walls or anything hard in the real world. It was built the same in the dark dimension somehow or another. Maybe he could try distorting it? But there may be dire consequences as a result from that. What a chore!

"Death and doors," he spoke out the password to the Slytherins portrait. Sometimes, he had no idea what to make of the stupidity of password created by the prefects. There was no logical sense in it.

Though that was not what was foremost on his mind. Two very familiar looking girls were looking at him the moment he entered.

_'This is going to be another long night!' _He groaned.

* * *

That night, Daphne ran off in search of his best friend. Looks were sent her way, puzzled at her appearance.

"Watch out! No running in the corridors!" A prefect prowling could be seen reprimanding her. But she did not care. She had something on her mind and nothing was going to stop her.

When she entered the dormitories, she found Tracey there in their shared room. It was so fortunate the Slytherins could have their own choice in whether they want a single or double room. Tracey's presence made it a double for her.

"Daphne?" Tracey turned at seeing her best friend running into their room. Her eyes were totally red from crying but she had a weird look on her face. Was it joy? Regardless, she brought leftovers from dinner, knowing Daphne had not eaten yet. The petty argument between them seemingly lost when placed before the importance of friendship.

"Trace!" Daphne went forward and pulled her towards Daphne's bed. "Listen to me alright?"

There was still the unhappy and angry look on Tracey towards Daphne. But more or less, Tracey was used to the cold and emotionless Daphne she faced during the argument before Histories of Magic.

Daphne took a gulp before deciding to say her piece. "I am so sorry for my actions the past few days. I know you were there for me and wanted me to feel better but I snapped back at you this afternoon."

"And…? What makes you think I will forgive you so easily? I've been waiting and hoping you could finally come clean with me over what occurred yet you blew your top over me because of Harry."

Daphne looked perturbed at her best friend's words.

"I understand if you do not forgive me because of what happened but please give me another chance to make up for what I did."

Daphne looked at Tracey repentantly, sincerely wanting to apologise for her actions before. Tracey knew that she could not stay angry for long at her. She even brought the leftovers from dinner although she was annoyed at her! Tracey sighed before taking Daphne's hands.

She began," Daph… Please look at this from my point of view as your best friend. It is really hard for me to deal with all your outbursts but I understand if it came from you."

Daphne looked sad at that. She knew she had been selfish towards Tracey.

"Daph, as much as I want to, I couldn't stay angry with you for long. You are my best friend and as long as you are happy, I will be too. So let's just let this matter past alright?"

Daphne gave her a smile.

"Thank you trace. Thank you for always being there for me even when I'm down."

"Always! Well, now that you are back, could you help me with my potions essay? I am kind of stuck at it." Tracey scratched her head while grinning.

"Sure! Let me fill me stomach first alright?"

And that was how the two best friends for back together. After an ordeal of toughness and all, their friendship has reached newer heights.

"Say... Did Harry come looking for you? I didn't see him at dinner tonight as well and you were missing. So…"

"Yup. Thank you for asking him to help. Without him, I don't know what would become of me..."

Tracey frowned. "So Daph, mind sharing what you were doing all along?"

Daphne shook her heads to deny her.

"I'm sorry... It's personal... I hope you understand."

Tracey seemed a bit hurt though. But nevertheless, she had her own secrets too. "Of course Daph. Just be careful alright?"

She giggled. "Sure! But I'm curious though, do you like Harry and want to be more than friends with him?"

"Daph? When did you start calling harry on first name basis?"

"About the same time as you! Can't believe you did that while I was still sulking."

"Oh yeah! You prevented me from telling him a secret!"

"That too! What were you trying to tell him?"

"I... Daphne. I want to give it a try with him as well. He seems like a good person even if he has that cold and tough exterior."

Daphne gave a light glare jokingly before pushing her back onto the bed.

"Well... Don't put too much effort because he will be mine at the end of the day." Daphne declared.

"Ah! Is that a challenge?"

"Why, it's been so long since I saw that fire in your eyes Trace!"

"Why thank you. For your information, I dated a few guys before Daph! Experience says you will lose."

"But Tracey, you can have all the guys in the world and not him. He is a special one and I know he will end up with me one day."

The two best friends just smiled at each other before giving a good night hug and retreat for the night. It was just one day later, on the next evening that they found themselves before said guy with green emerald eyes.

* * *

Tracey and Daphne were busy with their assignments in the common room when the door opened. It was quite late already and just a few minutes before curfew. Many students had already retreated to their rooms either to study or to sleep and they were the only ones left. That was the reason why they stayed down in the room since it was empty and quiet – a perfect environment for peaceful work.

They turned their head at the same time. Both were shocked out of their minds.

Harry was there in front of them. But it was the condition of his robe that scared them. There were patches of burnt hole here and there.

"Harry!" The two girls synchronized before rushing forward to find out what had happened.

They did not hear it but Harry made a groan. _'Just what I need. People seeing me in this state.'_

"Are you alright?" Tracey was asking with concerned as she eyed his body. "Do you need to see madam Pomfrey? Getting burns are serious issue!"

"Davis. Trust me when I say I'm fine alright? I'm fine." Harry replied.

Daphne could see that he did not want to be treated like that. But she could not help it.

"Do you want me to check you up? I know a few healing and diagnostic spells. After all, my mom is a medical witch. Just take down your robe for a sec and you will be fine after the check-up." Tracey asserted.

"No Tracey." Harry shook his head. Now he felt very uncomfortable with the whole situation. He did not want to shout nor treat them coldly especially after the ordeal they had been through.

He looked towards Daphne. Their eyes locked as Harry gave her a simple message only she could decipher. _'Help me'_

Daphne knew that expression very well. She had seen it on herself when Tracey tried asking her about things she did not want to say just yet in the past. So, she pulled Tracey back before she could advance and strip Harry of his burnt robe.

"Tracey... Harry is uncomfortable with it. Just let him be alright? He has his reason for coming in like that."

Tracey turned about and face Daphne.

"But Daphne! He obviously needs some treatment! My mom said to me that as a medical witch, we must ensure everyone is being treated for their injuries regardless of their choice! We are here to save life Daphne and you don't know if his injuries were contaminated or not by the surrounding germs!"

"Well, I know what you mean with all that but..." She signalled with a side glance to Harry for him to go.

He nodded his appreciation before slipping away like a ghost. Years of practice made him light-footed and Tracey was still arguing about the magical version of Hippocratic Oath. As a budding medical witch, Tracey had every intention to follow in her mother's footsteps.

It was not before long that Tracey realised Harry was not around anymore.

"Daph! How could you!"

"Trace, trust me on this. He is not injured in the way you think he is. Let's just get some sleep alright?"

"Hmph!"

Tracey was acting like a spoilt brat now but the matter was close anyway.

* * *

Days passed ever since that incident. Harry became more cautious when training on his own. He brought an extra robe with him in case of any circumstances. All in all, the days were good.

He had better control of the additional twenty percent of his magical power now and he was planning to rise it to thirty as soon as when he could ensure the flare that accompanies it was controlled. It would do him no good if Harry was to release his magical suppressor only to attract more attention from it.

Controlling fire was still as tough as ever. He borrowed a book from the library, showing how the element that is imbued in the spells had their own personalities especially if you were to want to have better control and mastery over it.

In this case, fire is fickle and temperamental. It hated to be controlled and forced to follow someone else's will. Just like a little child, the more you want it to follow a certain rule, the more rebellious it gets. That was one of the reason why Fiendfyre, one of the strongest and darkest curse ever was so hard to control. Spirits were contained within the flame and you, as the user of the spell would have to have the willpower to contain and ensure it did not go out of hand.

But not many people knew of the actual and most ancient way of controlling it. They were using the more modernized and known method to force the flame into their bidding. Harry could see now that if they were to understand the element itself, Fiendfyre was not meant to be controlled.

Fire is a very destructive element. It burns and destroy everything in its path, consuming and reigniting every now and then when there is a fuel source. Fortunately for Harry, he appeared to have some natural aptitude and affinity towards fire that allowed him to practice controlling it without hurting himself.

Through the days, he was able grab a handful of fire on his hand. It was a tough job coaxing it but he eventually managed it. Although he read the known proverb of playing with fire is dangerous when he was young, he could not help but enjoy it as he juggle the ball of fire in his hand. He never knew he could touch an element itself until today.

Other than fire elementalism, Harry did revise also on the rest of the spells. There was no need to try and incorporate wandless magic for most of the fundamental transfiguration spells seeing that they had no practicality in combat. Harry had risen to the next level for wandless magic in the levitation spell now that he could focus and direct his magic without using his hand as a focus. He could not lift heavy stuff for now but he knew eventually, it would be a life-saving tool for him in live and death situations.

It was two weeks before Christmas that Harry was finally disturbed from his routine.

"Hey Daph, are you ever curious where Harry goes every day? It's like he's not in the library nor in the common room during free time and most of the weekend."

Daphne giggled. Ever since that night when they had made up, there was a rivalry between each other to prove themselves to Harry. It was more of Daphne's idea of how she wanted to make full use of her life since she had promised Harry to do so. Tracey was just roped in blindly because she did not want to lose as well. This was beneficial for them though as they had better results overall for the assignments they did.

"Well... I say he must be practicing on spells then. That is what I would be doing in my free time like we had been doing the past week Tracey. I do have to admit though you are good with the practical aspects of most subjects!"

Tracey buffed up at that compliment. "I'm Tracey Davis, heiress of the House of Davis and best friend of the ice princess, the perfectionist. It would do me no good if I'm no up to standards."

At that there was a pause before the two girls started chuckling.

"Seriously though. Don't tell me you are not curious? Or maybe he has a girl behind our back and have been snogging her out of her wits?"

"Trace! How could you think of that! That's so wrong..." Daphne shook her head. Though within her, she was imagining herself being the secret lover of Harry. She smiled at that thought.

"Hello! Daph?"

Tracey had been calling her for the past minute or so before Daphne looked up

"Oh gosh. You are horrible. I just say something and you go all giddy over Harry. I definitely know what you were thinking about."

Daphne had a slight blush but was unnoticeable to most people including her best friend. She decided to change the topic.

"Let's follow him tonight after dinner shall we?"

"Well Daph, I say we will be having fun stalking him!" Tracey laughed and rubbed her hands. Perverted thoughts began cruising in her mind.

Daphne began shaking her head at the girl. "What shall I do about you and your mind Trace? We are just 11 for merlin's sake! I don't know what you have done before with those guys in the past. Merlin save their souls."

Tracey swabbed Daphne's arm jokingly. "Well we will find that out soon isn't it?"

That was how we found the two girls stalking the boy after lunch.

Harry went up the stairs from the great hall. Today would be the day he was finding and researching more combat spells for protection. The current Defense against the Dark Arts lesson was total bullshit as Professor Quirrel only taught about dark creatures like vampire and the basic pixies and nothing on how to defend ourselves from threats greater than those – wizards.

He was too busy thinking through what he planned on doing that he did not realise two girls were stalking him.

"Trace, he is just going to the library. Why are we acting so suspiciously?" Daphne questioned. The two girls were following Harry and they kept jumping behind pillars whenever they could.

"I don't know! I just thought he is going somewhere else."

"Let's just forget about this and go directly to him alright?"

The girls stopped with their weird behaviour then and headed towards the library. They had the whole afternoon free until Astronomy at night.

There, they saw Harry sitting by himself at a table reading through a book. He was copying stuff onto another parchment.

The two girls came to the library often, with Tracey being pulled along by her best friend. That was why they knew Harry was rarely here. Today would just be an exceptional day to see him here.

"Harry? Do you mind if we sit with you?" Daphne asked a bit shyly. She did not why she was feeling this way. It was not her usual proud and confident self. Ever since that night, there was a special feeling she had towards Harry that prevented her from ever moulding the perfect mask in front of him. He had gotten through her totally, not that he knew it.

Harry looked up before nodding and continue with his book. It was a very informative read especially most of these were to be taught only in second year. They were spells like _expelliarmus_, the disarming spell and _diffindo_, the cutting curse which Daphne had almost cast the other day. As first years students, they would be spending the time after Christmas learning how to shield themselves but considering the professor teaching them, it would be better to learn by himself.

This in his opinion is vital knowledge. If deception fails, combat will be the back-up for survival.

"So Harry, what are you reading?" Tracey asked him. That was another reason why he loved being alone. Nobody was there to disturb him. But maybe, just maybe he could try enlisting some help. It would be good to have some experience with another person instead of the chairs and dummy target he made in the empty class.

"Basic spells for protection," Harry replied without looking up.

Tracey perked up at that. "Do you need help with it?"

Harry reacted at that. "What do you mean?"

"Well... I have some experience in defending myself as well as basic healing knowledge. Maybe we could help you with that?" Tracey asked without thinking trough her answers.

"Trace!" Daphne seemed livid at her words. She smiled and tried apologizing Harry. "Harry, I want to apologize on her behalf. She didn't mean what she said. Let me talk to her first alright?"

Daphne grabbed her to another section in between the shelves of books for some privacy.

"What's wrong Daphne? I know you want to spend more time with him just like I do!" She whispered.

"Trace!" Daphne admonished. "Have you ever thought before that he is the Heir of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter? They are one of the oldest and most powerful house in magical Britain and what you said implies he could not defend himself at all! That is an insult and this is very serious."

"Oh... I didn't know that." Tracey laughed sheepishly. "Well but he didn't really get angry from what I said."

"That may be because he is better at controlling his emotions than you think! You never know what may happen to you. Even though we are friends, we are still not close enough to understand his personality and all. You are stepping into an area full of landmines!"

"But...!"

"No buts! I've been through hard times to learn all these and I'm not able to lose my best friend just because of your own idiocy. Let's just go back and think before you speak, understand Tracey Davis?" Daphne reprimanded her.

"Yes mom." Tracey replied. It was an internal joke between the two. Daphne could get very protective over her because she did not want harm to befall her. They went back to the table seeing Harry was still on his book.

"Erm... Harry?" Daphne spoke. "Tracey has some words for you."

Harry nodded for her to carry on.

"I want to apologize for my previous actions, Heir Apparent of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter. I didn't think twice before speaking and hope you could just let the matter past." Tracey was still standing as she bowed towards Harry.

It was fortunate for Harry read before most parts on magical etiquette and customs. This was a formal apology by Davis to him on behalf of the whole House. He knew his family was old and powerful but he did not care much since it mattered him not. But he would not disgrace best friend of his very first friend by brushing aside her apology. It would be disrespectful on his side. Harry stood up.

"I accept your apology Heiress Presumptive of the magical House of Davis."

With that they sat down. Daphne was opposite of him. Knowing her history of abuse by her father, he knew the customs and etiquette for wizards and witches through and through.

"Greengrass, I want you to know that I do not care much for such trivialities. Even though I am an heir for Potter, I don't think I will be entering the political scene if given a choice."

Daphne was puzzled at that. She thought Harry would be like her father who cared much about the customs and etiquette for the magical world. This was a new titbit of information to digest.

"If I may ask why?" Tracey decided to ask this time.

"I will but in not such a place. As for your previous question Davis, I think it would be beneficial to hold practice some spells together. I do need a training partner or partners in this case." He looked towards Daphne. "If you don't mind joining us as well?"

Daphne gave a smile. "It will be my pleasure Harry. I'm interested in seeing how good you are."

"This is it then! Now we just need a time and place!" Tracey said cheerfully, albeit a bit too loudly.

"Students! Keep your volume down!" Madam Pince shouted out from wherever she was.

"Well, I would suggest any free time available since we all share the same classes so how about tomorrow during the time slot after the last lesson which is charms?" Harry suggested.

"I'm alright with it. Trace?"

"Of course! I will definitely be…"

"Shush!" Harry cut her from completing her sentence suddenly.

The girls looked at him weirdly wondering what was going on. At that moment, they heard faint voices coming from the next table.

"… Cerberus guarding the trap door. It must be something precious and important underneath. I read before these beast are very dangerous and I have no idea why Hagrid would bring it to Hogwarts!"

"I say we try to find out what is going on from Hagrid!"

"Hey! I think someone is listening to our conversation. Look over there at those Slytherins. They were talking before but now…"

Harry decided to resume their conversation so as to paint a semblance of normalcy to the golden trio.

"That's decided then. I will be meeting you guys tomorrow after charms." Harry stood up. He had every intention of trying to find out what was it about a Cerberus and a trapdoor in Hogwarts. Curiosity got the better of him.

The girls bid their farewell before continuing with their work and some conversations here and there.

* * *

Harry went down the stairs and all the way to where he heard Hagrid's cabin would be. He decided to just stay here and spy on what the golden trio would be discussing. Anything involving a Cerberus and a trap door would be fun. Thus, Harry hid himself in the dark dimension waiting for the golden trio to come.

It was not a long wait. Two boys and a girl came running down to the hut. Harry could not hear anything from them since he was in the other dimension. He decided to wait until the three of them were inside before coming out of the shadow. A dog came running out, licking them.

_'This is bad. A dog could be able to sniff me out.'_ Harry thought and decided that he would still try his luck. He had an avenue of escape anyway so there was no problem in listening on them. It was vague but he could still pick out the words quite clearly.

"…Fluffy?"

"Fluff!?" The golden trio shouted.

"Why would you name a Cerberus Fluffy?"

"Oh! He's so cute! I though' Fluffy be a good name fer 'im!"

"Are you serious! Oh gosh Hagrid… And here I thought we're crazy enough to find a Cerberus in the school. Seriously Hagrid, why would you even bring such a dangerous beast into Hogwarts where there are so many untrained children!"

Harry found himself agreeing with her for the first time though.

"Well… 'eadmaster Dumbledore asked me ter bring that puppy here!"

_'Ta Dah! And I wonder why he would tell everyone about the third floor corridor. He must be too old for this job.' _Harry thought.

"But what if it escapes from the room? How would you even control it?"

"Eh… Justa' bit o' music and that puppy will fall asleep. Ya know?"

_'That is a new bit of information.'_

After sometime, the golden trio finally decided to go back to Hogwarts. For Harry, this was quite an informative session. But he would wait until the time when nobody else was in school before exploring the place for himself. It would be an adventure and Harry would definitely be wanting to get as much training as he could with his two new training partners.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Now that Daphne is more or less recovered, we will be in soon for the next big event in Hogwarts.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

******Edit on 28/04/2014: Thanks to whoever it is for pointing out this sentence. "There was a shudder as she thought of her best friend ravaging her." Indeed I am going to rephrase it to - "There was a shudder as she thought of her best friend doing weird things to her – things she heard from her dirty neighbour of what she loves doing to another girl."**

* * *

Chapter 8

It was time for the training session between Harry and the two girls. Much as he did not want to admit, he did not have much knowledge with combat spells. Ever since he found out he was a wizard, he had been spending more time on learning mind arts and ancient runes than on combat skills. In his opinion, he could manipulate shadow and retreat anytime when the situation got dangerous, so why was there a need for combat skills then?

But that argument was flawed. Harry knew that duelling was important. He could not rely on his skills to escape alone. What if somebody found out a way to block that ability? It would spell disaster for him and he would not die without a good fight. That was why he really needed to learn how to duel and protect himself when push comes to shove.

After charms, they walked together into an empty classroom with Harry leading them to his usual place.

As they entered, the two girls could not help but wonder why the whole place looked burned.

"Harry?" Tracey asked.

"Yes. This is the place I come to when I need to practice on my spell work. As you can see, it's very homely. I gave it my personal touch." Harry declared.

The two girls sweat-dropped at his blatant words. Daphne was curious however. She did not forget about that day Harry entered their common rooms with a burnt robe.

"Was it here where you the fire accident happened that day?"

Harry nodded.

"But how did you burn it? Most wizards can definitely control the use of _Incendio_ and it's not like you to cast the spell on yourself." Daphne questioned.

"Well miss, I was definitely practicing with fire. How it got out of control? That will be for you to find out." He gave a smirk.

Well, Daphne was not the type to back down on this challenge. She would definitely try to solve the puzzle Harry potter was. He is indeed a very mysterious person. There were many questions Daphne had for him – how Harry could hide so well, how did he paralyse the girls and now, causing fire to get out of control? She would continue her observations until the day he was forced to let out his secrets.

"Hey guys! Don't you find it weird that another person is here as well?" Tracey decided to add. She felt left out.

Daphne decided to play with her friend. "Hmm Harry did you hear a sound?"

Harry caught on. "I think I heard some birds chirping. Well I say the weather is great!"

Tracey pouted at the double-game. "Aww come on. Let's just start. Then we can go for a nice and awesome dinner!" She smiled as an afterthought.

"Trace. You and your food." Daphne shook her head.

Harry decided to start with the session. He did not want to waste time bantering after all. Thus he went on to apply the privacy runes on the four corners of the room. This was not done without curious stares from the extra occupants.

"Harry? What are those?" Daphne asked.

"It's something I read in a book. A runic word powered to help in ensuring no sound comes out of this room."

"Oh! Is it something like the spell this evil girl cast over me that day?"

Harry smirked. "That is a similar spell with what I'm doing. Runes make things easier and more permanent. You see I could just power it with magic at the right amount and it would stay for that period, unlike using a spell."

"That sounds useful. Do you think we could learn it as well?" Tracey asked.

"Well..."

"Come on Harry, we will be teaching each other things we don't know. This will be a wonderful sharing session for us. We will all benefit from it." Daphne added.

"Now that you say. I will but only if you begin reading on the introductions to Ancient runes. It will be really hard for you to start without any background and fundamental knowledge on this subject."

"Aww come on! Just teach us. I hate reading!" Tracey began grumpily. But Harry was still firm on his stance.

He tried impersonating professor McGonagall to show his seriousness on the situation of learning Ancient Runes without the fundamentals. "Girls, I'm warning you, Ancient runes is something very dangerous. Anybody found messing around with it will get kicked out of the class permanently."

Daphne chuckled lightly.

"Alright alright!" Tracey replied while pouting. "There's no need to go all McGonagall on us."

"So, anyway, what do you know about combat Harry?" Daphne asked.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I have no spells repertoire for combat. I only know the levitation spell." Harry said awkwardly.

"Oh that's not good at all. My dad forced me to learn basic duelling for basic protection. Now I understand why you were reading that book." Tracey said this time, empathising with him on the need of learning basic defence.

"To tell you the truth, I wanted to ask if you could be my partners before you asked me Davis."

"Oh!" She seemed surprised. "Well, be glad that I asked then. Makes work easier for you!"

Daphne was deep in thoughts as they talked. She was recalling the fact that he did cast a combat spell before in the past. There was a pause before she decided to voice out her thoughts. "Hmm come to think of it, Harry, how did you cast that bludgeoning spell that day if you don't know about it?"

Harry was trying to formulate a reply on how it was his first time as he mimicked the rest in casting it. But he was saved from Tracey's intervention.

As for Tracey, she was wide-mouthed at what Daphne was implying. Nobody knew Harry was there at the scene other than Daphne. Thus, Tracey pointed her finger at her best friend. "Daph, what are you taking about? Did you not tell me something?"

Daphne smiled. "Harry was the one that helped us."

Tracey was awed at that implication. "So the fourth bolt that day was his?"

Daphne nodded.

"No wonder! And was he the one that gave you the letter?"

Daphne affirmed that again. The mystery of the person behind the scene that day was finally solved.

"Ahh... Now I see. So you two have been doing something behind my back?" Tracey shook her heads. Then, she added as an afterthought to try and lure more information out from her best friend. "Naughty Daphne, you must be doing something with Harry here while I was not around!"

Daphne was appalled by that statement. She could not gather her wits though as she thought back on the night when she was so close to Harry. There was a light blush. _'Why did that memory come to my mind suddenly? And at such an inopportune timing?'_

She was fortunately saved by Harry. "Nope Tracey. We didn't. And for Miss Greengrass information too, you did something behind her back as well."

"Wha..." Tracey had that similar expression with Daphne. She thought back to the times she pulled Harry's hand and the hugs she had when Daphne was depressed. There was a light blush in her face as well. Apparently, her trap was countered.

The two girls looked at each other before they grinned and looked towards Harry.

Harry felt an impending doom suddenly. There was a need to escape as his instinct was warning him to. But he was too late as they came upon him, locking his hands over their shoulders. He felt warm from the contact.

"Harry..." The two girls gave a sultry look at him, before tracing their fingers over his arms.

Unfortunately or fortunately, he was still eleven years old and the lack of social contact and parental guidance made him confused over the two girls' actions. He thought that they would be coming upon him in the more aggressive manner and not in such a way. Harry tilted his head wondering what to make of this.

"Girls? Why are you two touching me?"

They frowned at that. The girls thought this action would make him embarrassed and stutter in front of them. Yet instead, he became confused.

Daphne decided to answer his question. "Harry, have you ever had any thoughts or urges to touch us girls before?"

"Not really." He replied instantly. He had a very uncomfortable feeling as they continued touching him over his clothes. Harry could feel his face heating up even though he understand why.

"Oh poor boy… Can you see his face getting red?" Tracey jabbed at him cheerfully.

"Wha… Let's just start with a basic body-binding spell shall we?" Harry stumbled over his words for the first time. This was a subject he really needed to find out more about – girls. He took back his hand and walked as fast as he could away from the girls.

Tracey was just happy she won the game. Daphne felt like snarling at Harry to come back so she could hug him but that would be out of character for her and might push him further away.

"Alright. Do you know the wand movement and incantation? We could probably show you how and then you try to do it?"

Harry nodded and that was how they spent their first training session. Learning the body-binding spell before practicing speed casting. It was thoroughly enjoyable for Harry as much as he did not want to admit. Training by himself was one thing but having fun and training with someone else, which was fun and entertaining.

By the time they finished with the session, the girls were lightly exhausted. It was the first time they spent such a long session casting spells repeatedly over and over again. They were not used to it and also, their core was not as large as Harry's, resulting in them getting more exhausted from this training exercise.

Before they left the room though, Daphne suddenly remembered that she wanted to tell her friends something regarding the Cerberus. It slipped off her mind before the training because they were having so much fun bantering around.

"Harry and Trace, before we go, I want to tell you all something."

That got the attention of her two friends. They were waiting for her to continue on.

"I remembered seeing part of the so-called Cerberus in the third floor corridor. What the golden trio said in the library then was partially true."

Tracey became shocked but Harry did not have much reaction from that.

"You mean the Headmaster seriously brought in a Cerberus of all things and place it inside the school? Is he trying to get us all killed?" Tracey was wondering if their headmaster was right in the head.

Daphne decided to add in her point. "What about that very first day when we came to Hogwarts. If you remembered, he warned us something about if you want to die a terrible death, please visit the third floor corridors. I think that codger is too old for this." She shook her head.

Harry was quiet throughout as he contemplated over the reality of events occurring. He was trying to piece together what he found out from the golden trio in the library, from Hagrid and now from Daphne and Tracey. Everything was pointing towards the direction that Headmaster Dumbledore was directing the students towards the third floor corridor. But that did not make sense. Students would die before they could even get through the Cerberus.

But who else would be stupid enough to want to go through the trapdoor unless there was something big hidden in it. Wait… Trapdoor…? A trap?

Harry gasped at that. Obviously, it was not directed at the students. There were professors present as well during his speech. He wanted to tell someone among all the professors that something precious was hidden under the trapdoor. He wanted to lure him into the trap. But the question now was who is it? And what was hidden underneath the trapdoor?

While Harry was going through the process of thinking, the two girls were amused as they stared at Harry. He was so deep in thoughts. They giggled. Finally, Harry realised he was being stared at once his thought process was finally done.

"You know, it's not polite to stare at a guy? He might think you two want violate him."

Tracey and Daphne looked at each other and snickered at that.

"Oh, you have no idea at all Harry…" Tracey said. "Daph here has the idea of wanting to… Mmphh!"

She was cut off as Daphne covered her mouth. "Err Harry, I think it's time to go for dinner." She gave an awkward smile before pulling Tracey out of the door. The conversation regarding Cerberus seemingly out of their minds for now.

But Tracey pulled herself out of Daphne's arm and went back into the room. She wanted to talk to Harry regarding something.

"Daph could I talk to him for a sec?"

Daphne was suspicious though. After having Harry expose Tracey doing something behind her back, she did not want to leave them alone for fear of their relationship blossoming into something. But she knew that there was a secret shared between Harry and her that was bigger than what might happen. Thus. Daphne decided on waiting outside and let them have their private chat.

As Tracey closed the door, she started on about what she was planning to do.

"You know, next week is Daphne's birthday. It's on the 18th of December. Just a week exactly before Christmas. I want to do something nice for her and I was wondering if you wanna join me in celebrating it?"

"Why?"

"Well, even if Daphne did not tell me what exactly happened with her during the past few weeks, I can see that she became much happier than ever before. Whenever she talks about you, there is this sparkle in her eyes. It started since that night. I don't really know how but you are already a very important person to her. I just want her to feel happy as her best friend."

Harry contemplated over her words for a few seconds before replying, "Davis, I understand what you said. I will join you in it."

"Really?" Tracey had a weird glint on her eyes. She was definitely planning something. But Harry knew how hurt Daphne had been that night. He was willing to do anything to ensure she would not think of using suicide as an option anymore.

"Yes Davis. So what are you plotting?"

"How did you... Never mind." She grinned evilly. "You can't go back on your words now. I want this birthday to be something special so you will be the one planning it. Hehe!"

Harry was wide-mouthed. "But..."

"Ta-ta!" Tracey waved at Harry before exiting the room to meet with Daphne. She did not let him complete that sentence.

"I don't know how people celebrate their birthdays because I never had one before..." Harry looked down, depressed about that thought.

* * *

"So, what did you talk to him about?"

"Hmm... That's a secret!" Tracey grinned. She seemed on cloud nine as she held hands with Daphne, hopping her way merrily to the great hall.

Daphne being herself immediately suspected something. Then something clicked in her mind. Tracey was being suspiciously too joyful and that could only mean... She covered her wide-opened mouth.

"Don't tell me..."

"Yes Daphy?" Tracey replied smiling. She only used that form of her name when she was on drugs not literally Of course.

Daphne looked a bit hurt at that. "You kissed him...?"

When Tracey heard that, she just laughed at her. "Oh Daphy... You are so cute! Why would you think that I kiss him?"

"Because you are so happy..." Daphne frowned.

"Do you trust me Daphy?"

"Mmm... No!"

Tracey gave a mock-hurt look at that answer before grinning at her.

"What about Harry?"

Daphne looked up at that question. Would she?

"More than I trust you?" she grinned.

Tracey pouted. "Then you have nothing to worry about my girl!"

Daphne just smiled at that. Her best friend was really happy that even her answers did not hurt her at all. In her mind, the gears turned as it looked onto the whole situation from another point of view. She remembered the words from Harry that night clearly.

"We are not even friends! She did not ask me directly."

Accepting that she was Harry's only friend, although it seemed selfish but Daphne did not care, her mind finally gave in to logic and quelled her emotions.

* * *

Harry was stumped. He did not know how to prepare a birthday celebration for Daphne. But what was worse was that he did not feel like asking Tracey for help. Harry did not want anybody else know of the harsh life he had because if they knew, they would be treating him differently, like pity him instead.

Harry is very stubborn in this manner. But he did not show it out to anybody else. In his mind, he should probably just do something Daphne would feel happy about. Though he did not want to admit. Harry wanted to plan the best birthday for Daphne because he knew she needed affirmation that there were still people out there caring about her.

But all these thinking made his head hurt and his stomach hungry. Harry decided to go to the kitchen instead of going to the great hall. Merlin knows how much more headache he would get if the students started gossiping about him.

_'Breathe in and out. Move all your thoughts into the flame. Relax your muscle and let go of all emotional detachments.'_ Harry told himself inside his mind in a mantra as he practiced occlumency to ensure he had that emotionless mask still on him.

As he finally reached the kitchen, he was in for a big surprise. Instead of the comfort he would get from being alone, there were already two older students in there enjoying themselves. They had one distinct feature – red hair. They saw him entering and came forward to converse.

"Ooh! Look Gred! Who do we have here?"

"Feorge! I say we got ourselves an icky first year!"

"And See that green and silver lining on the robe?"

"A Slytherin of course!"

"How can we help you?" They completed the sentence together.

Harry was definitely amused at how they could complete each other's sentences without sharing the same mind. He remembered them as the bunch of weirdoes he saw on the first day at king cross station. But hey, they could probably help him with his problem since they were not friends with Daphne and they were of different house from him her!

"Hello there. You must be the Weasley twin I heard so much about in Hogwarts?"

"Brother, did you hear what I heard?"

"No. I think what you heard was something I did not hear!"

They grinned at each other.

"May we present to you –"

"I'm George."

"His Fred!"

"No your George and I'm Fred"

"Isn't that what I said? I'm George and you're Fred?"

Hearing that, Harry's headache became even more splitting. What dumb luck to meet the twins here in his escape from the great hall. Regardless, Harry still needed to find an answer to the puzzling question of how to plan to a birthday celebration, and more importantly, make Daphne happy.

"Say Fred and George, you have any idea how I could make a girl happy?"

The twins looked at each other bewildered.

"Eh brother, an icky first year not finding girls icky?"

"That's a surprise I say. I still thought they had cooties when I'm at his age!"

"But what say you? How did you go about trying to chase after Angelina?"

"No! I was chasing after Alicia!"

"But shouldn't the chaser be chasing after you instead?"

"Well, I say we are definitely the chasers."

"And they are the beaters. You remember how she beat you after that date you had?"

"Oh yeah! Definitely. The picnic was wonderful. I say she enjoyed herself."

"But you revealed to her you are me instead! Boy did she beat you up!"

Harry has his answer. So a picnic would make a girl happy. He decided to cut the twins from their humorous and meaningless banter. He would find it more worthwhile to spend his time on meaningful stuff.

"Hey! Thank you for your help. I appreciate it." And he left without looking back.

* * *

Tracey and Daphne yawned as they woke up. They felt totally energetic, and the windows were lit up, showing that it was morning already.

"Happy birthday Daphne!" Tracey shouted out at her. "My gift for you!"

Daphne smiled. It was a wonderful day to wake up and find her best friend there giving her a gift and telling her today she would be a year older. That meant just five more years before she would be emancipated from her father! Hopefully, she would not be entered into a marriage contract by then.

"Thanks Trace! You are my best friend forever!"

"Awww Daph, why can't every day be your birthday? You are so sweet today! Come on open up my gift!"

Daphne unwrapped it slowly. She gasped at what Tracey gave her. It was a photo book comprising of their memories together. Daphne teared at that. This would really be her best birthday ever since it was the first time she spent it without her father around. She gave Tracey a big hug.

"Thanks Trace for this wonderful gift… I will treasure it!" She got a smile in return.

They went on to prepare for the day ahead. It was a weekend and for Daphne, she had no idea what to expect. She had that little hope in her wishing Harry would surprise her by wishing her a happy birthday but Daphne knew that he had no idea today was her birthday. How wrong she was.

For Tracey, although she was notified to be prepared for dinner outside Hogwarts, she too did not know of what Harry planned for Daphne. It would be fun in her opinion.

They smiled, eager to enjoy the day but for different purposes.

That was why they were shocked when they entered the common room from their dormitories to find the fireplace with the message _'Happy birthday Daphne!'_ written on it. It was a beautiful piece of magic. Just below it was the shape of a unicorn head with a horn.

"Well Daph, it seems you have a secret admirer."

"Oh... Do you have any idea who is it? Is it Harry?" Daphne blushed lightly at that. Maybe her wish would come true.

"Not that I know. We should ask him in person when we meet him later." Tracey replied honestly.

"We will Trace. But why is there a drawing of a unicorn?"

"I honestly don't know as well Daph… Let's just note it down for now alright?"

They went out of the room. As they walked to the great hall, there was a portrait there which wished Daphne a happy birthday. In it, he was holding a card with the words _'Happy birthday Daphne!'_ But this time, a Graphorn was drawn on it. The most significant feature was instead of the unicorn's lone horn, there was two horn this time.

"Awww Daph... How come everybody knows today is your birthday? Even the portraits do so!"

Daphne blushed again at that. _'Maybe it's really Harry who did this?'_ She wondered dreamily.

"Come on, we gotta go and find him!" Trace shouted excitedly. Seeing one wish was enough to make the birthday girl happy but seeing it twice? It would definitely compound on.

"But why did he draw all these pictures underneath? It seems to me that we can be expecting a creature with three horns next."

"Well, no time for that! The person is waiting hopefully in the Great Hall!"

Daphne gave Tracey a bright smile as she let her be pulled along. Daphne kept up with the pace. She was as excited to see Harry for the sweet things he did for her. She wanted to ask him how he know today was her birthday as well.

The moment they entered the Great Hall, they saw it was almost filled with students. They did wake up late. But what was different today was nobody cared about staring or looking at them! It was a refreshing change. The rumours had finally died down.

Daphne went off to the Slytherin table. Her eyes were wandering around, trying to look for Harry. She was disappointed to find that he was not there. Tracey saw it and decided to comfort her.

"Hey come on Daph, don't be sad! You will see him soon. Just enjoy today alright?"

That did cheer her up. Her ever bubbly best friend Tracey was really a good influence on her optimism. Daphne went on to the table. As soon as she sat down, there was something different in her breakfast from the rest of the students. It was one of her favourite – Brouillade de truffes, or in English, Eggs with black truffles!

"Oh my god…!" Daphne grinned. Those sitting close to her was slightly surprised to see that she had something different from them. Daphne had always love eating those French cuisine. It was exquisite to her taste and ever since then, she decided to learn that language in hope of visiting the lovely place in the future.

"Wow… Can I try some later Daph?" Tracey asked her best friend. She had never seen before such a delicacy before in her life. Students around her had the same thoughts. But for Daphne, she would only allow Tracey because of the small portion. Daphne wanted it to herself.

Just then, the owls came. Daphne was expecting one owl from her father for her gift. But instead, two owls came today. One was a regal Egyptian owl with the Greengrass crest placed on an accessory the owl had. The other was snow-white. It was a very beautiful owl and just like her, her eyes were blue. She looked intelligent.

Daphne took her present from her father and fed their family owl with a bacon before letting it fly back to home. He had as usual send a book on Potions. It was better than nothing. Now that her father's gift was settled, she decided to look towards the snow-white owl that came, wondering who it was from.

Tracey was beside her, waiting impatiently.

"Come on Daph, take the letter and read it! I'm so curious!"

Daphne just smiled at her friend's antics. So she opened the letter and gave a gasp. Tracey decided to take a peek, which Daphne allowed her to see.

_Happy birthday Daphne!_

_(Runespoor drawing)_

_May Hedwig be your delightful companion_

"Oh my god oh my god! It's from the same guy! That is the third time he wished you a happy birthday! And like you said, it is another creature with three significantly involved!" Tracey was really happy for her. Now she wished she could find out what did Harry really planned out. She gave a pat on her back for the job well done.

Daphne was amazed. Whoever her secret admirer was, he was really sweet. She wondered what exactly he planned for her birthday for the day ahead. But an owl as her gift? That was one of the best gift ever. She could finally write to her friends in the future without requesting from her father to use the owl that would identify her house as Greengrass.

"Hello there Hedwig." Daphne placed her hand over the smooth and soft feather the owl had. It felt nice. The owl hooted softly at her, as if it was enjoying her touch. Daphne knew she would definitely love this companion given to her as her present.

"Well, here's a bacon for you." Daphne gave her a bacon which Hedwig happily accepted before flying off to the owlery.

"What a surprising day Trace…"

'_Oh you have no idea Daph' _she smirked.

It was an enjoyable breakfast. For Daphne, it had been so long since she last ate the Brouillade de truffes. She loved it as much as before and this was done really well whoever the chef or elf was.

"Shall we?" Daphne asked her best friend.

"Let's go! To the library!" Tracey said excitedly.

Daphne was wondering what made her best friend so excited to go to the library. It was weird enough to see Tracey reading with a smile on her face.

Tracey however was not thinking about reading. She thought Harry would be there and was really curious in finding out his whole plan for Daphne's birthday. She only knew there would be a dinner outside Hogwarts beside the black lake.

As they chat while walking towards the library, they heard something following them behind. The sound of the steps made was absolutely loud, as if it was a giant. The girls looked towards each other and agreed to increase their pace, hoping to lose the stalker. But as they moved faster, the pace of the echoes increase as well. It was reverberating throughout the corridor as they made their way to the library.

At the same time, the two girls took out their wand and turned, ready to blast whoever their stalker was into smithereens. But nobody was there. There was just an armour statue which was seen everywhere in Hogwarts. Not a single soul could be seen.

"Am I dreaming Daph?" Tracey asked.

"You aren't. I swear I heard the steps as well…" Daphne replied, spooked.

"Oh well… Maybe it's just our imagination. Let's go."

They turned about and began in a slow pace. Again, the sound of something heavy began moving at a very fast pace towards them. This time, the two girls just turned without thinking, hoping to catch the stalker. Instead, all they saw was the same armour statue. They were official spooked now, but Daphne was suspicious of something. She grabbed Tracey pulled her along forward. As the sound began, she slowed down her pace, wanting to check if her suspicions were right. They turned.

There, the statue was right in front of them. The two girls jumped and screamed. They were officially horrified and shocked at being stalked by an armour. They were about to run when the armour bowed down and gave a card to Daphne. Daphne felt a cold shudder.

'_What was that all about?' _she wondered as she opened up the card. Another happy birthday to her but with a Fwooper drawn this time. She began cooling down now as she showed it to Tracey.

"Oh boy… I can't believe we got frightened off by this little suit. Didn't know that you would have a personal guard following Daph." Tracey grinned.

"I'm becoming more creeped out by that secret admirer Trace… You have any idea who he is?" Daphne wondered out loud.

"Hmm…" Tracey put her finger on her lips, looking up as if she was in a thinking post. Then she snapped her finger. "Ahah! Could it be Malfoy?"

"EWWW!" Daphne frowned at that thought. "Don't be so gross Tracey!"

Tracey laughed at her predicament. "But he wanted you ever since the first day!"

"Don't remind me of that Trace! I was almost slobbered by his two goons!"

"But they flew off! That was good times." Tracey smiled as she reminisced the event.

Instead, Daphne was now wondering if there was a pattern within the cards given to her. She did not know what this creature was. But she was guessing it had to do with the number four. She kept that in mind and decided to find out more later on in the library.

Thus, they continued on to the library with the armour still following behind them in clinks and clanks. Students passing them were puzzled as they wonder why the armour was following. Once a boy tried coming to disturb the girls but ran away when the armour unsheathed it sword. They laughed merrily at that.

"Whoever it is, you have a personal guard for today, birthday girl!" Tracey said.

Daphne could only give a smile.

They entered the library, found a table and began with their study. Tracey was more interested in finding Harry at this moment but she did not see him anywhere. In order to avoid any suspicion from her best friend, she decided that for now, she would just read her book and start on her assignment for the week. But a moment later, she was stuck once again on her work.

"Hey Daph, do you know where I can find out more information on Acromantula for this essay? It seems that I could not complete the word count without inputting more in-depth information. But I don't find them within most books."

"Hmm… I'm not sure either. I haven't started on that essay yet. Let's ask the librarian shall we?"

After a nod, they went over to Madam Pince.

"Hello Madam Pince, do you know where we can find more in-depth information on Acromantula? Most books here do not have that."

They were expecting some scowls from her. She was a very unpleasant person to deal with but there was no choice in it. To their amazement though, she smiled at them. She smiled! Tracey opened her mouth so wide at seeing that. Earth had frozen all over. She could not believe it.

"Err… Daph?" There was no reply from her. After all, she had the same expression as her, minus the open mouthed.

"Happy birthday dear! You can find it on the fifth row."

"Thank you Madam Pince!" Tracey replied cheerfully for the first time when talking to the librarian. She pulled the stunned Daphne along to the place. Instead of finding the section for magical creatures, they were in the section for potions instead.

"That is weird… I would have thought she would lead us to the magical creatures section instead of here. Maybe that was why I could not find anything more on the creature because the books were placed here instead!"

But Daphne was not listening to her best friend. She was really thinking hard now. There must be something significant in the consecutive increase in the numbers on the birthday wishes. Now that even the librarian was telling her the FIFTH row, she knew definitely that someone planned it this way or that he was following her. She decided to play along for now and enjoy her birthday while it last.

"Hello Daphne? You there?" Tracey had been calling her for quite some time but she was not responding. At that, she decided to go and find the book she needed and to her amazement, there was indeed a book pulled out from the rest, defining itself to her. It was as if someone wanted her to find it. Tracey went on to take it and indeed, it was a book on more or less spiders.

But a piece of sheet fell out as she took it. Another '_Happy Birthday Daphne_!' was written on it and this time there was a Salamander drawn. Daphne finally finished her thought process as she went over to see what Tracey found.

'_A Salamander this time? Is it something to do with six?' _she could recognise a Salamander because of the pictures drawn in the books she read in the past as a child.

"You can go back first Trace. I have something I need to find out." Daphne said, not waiting for her to give a reply. She went on to the magical creatures section in search of the Salamander. There was a book on magical creatures and she took it back to the table.

It was as suspected. A Salamander had six legs and that the maximum hours the creature could survive out of fire was six hours. But there was something written in the book she realised how significant this creature was in another subject – Ancient runes. Knowing Harry had dabbled into that subject before, she definitely knew who his so called secret admirer was.

'_But how did he know today was my birthday?'_ she mused before the thought struck. There could only be a person who told him of it and she was there right in front of her.

'_Aww Trace. So you planned this all out for me? I will play along for now'_ Daphne smiled as she looked at Tracey.

Tracey however was having a different thought. She was wondering why her best friend was looking at her and smiling giddily. It was as if she wanted her. There was a shudder as she thought of her best friend doing weird things to her – things she heard from her dirty neighbour of what she loves doing to another girl. _'Bad mind! Bad mind! But will it feel good?'_ She smiled back hesitantly.

At last, after finishing her essay and assignment for the week, she was hungry!

"DAPHNE! Time for lunch!" She whooped enthusiastically. Daphne could only shake her head at her childlike reaction towards food. But even more amazingly yet again, Madam Pince did not scream at her outburst. What a weird day.

Daphne was become used to this treatment. The food placed in front of her was different from the rest. It was another delicacy belonging to the French cuisine. It was known as the Blanquette de Veau or veal ragout. Accompanying it was the ever delightful éclairs! Before she had even started on her meal, she was reminiscing about her time at home when their elves would cook cuisines from France for the family because they would be playing host for some French dignitaries. It was those times that made her fall in love with it.

She was expecting complaints from the rest of the students because of the extraordinary lunch she had. Tracey was one of her most vehement defenders from the rest of the students protesting.

"Hey! Why does she have that and we don't!" Most of the school agreed with that statement. But one comment made by the one and only jealous king in Hogwarts made her whole house stand behind her back.

"That's unfair! Why do you snakes always get better treatment! I bet it must be Snape." That boy was Ron and he was the most biased person you could ever meet. But it was good for Daphne for the whole Slytherin house was now united against the Gryffindor. It brought change in the attention towards her as instead, the rivalry came first now.

But something happened. Loud bangs could be heard as everyone turned their attention towards the source. It actually came from under the professors' table as a small firework display could be seen. It was most likely created by spell-work as Daphne deemed but she could make out the number seven clearly. She smiled lightly.

Two Gryffindor boys came over to the Slytherin table. They were inviting a lot of troubles but the Weasley twin did not care.

"Hello there Miss Ice Princess." They began.

"We proudly present to you –"

"The most wonderful display of magic."

"By yours truly."

"And mine truly."

"Fred, do you know what you just said?"

Said boy could be seen thinking before he replied with a snap of his fingers, "Ah! I knew it was wrong. I shouldn't be saying that."

"But?"

"Where would be the fun in it?"

"That I agree, that I agree. So Miss –"

"On behalf of our secret partner –"

"Happy birthday!" they completed together with a smile but without voicing it out as they bowed.

Daphne felt that the twins were truly a hilarious pair. That definitely made her day even brighter with their word-play and how they could understand each other telepathically. But she did not want more attention to herself and that was why she was amazed that they knew what she wanted.

"Thank you for your show gentlemen." She replied as they went away.

Students began their talk yet again about what was going on. Malfoy could be seen seething from a distance away as he thought of how Greengrass was being infected by the Gryffindor. For that, she would pay later after lunch.

As they exited the hall, something felt different and before long, Daphne found out about what was different.

"Hey Trace, don't you feel that it's a bit too quiet?"

"Oh yeah! Where's your personal guard? Did he went back to his slumber?"

"How would a non-living thing sleep? You don't make sense Tracey as always."

There was a mock-hurt look on Tracey. "How could you be so mean to your bestie?" She poked Daphne on her waist.

"Hey! Stop that it feels ticklish!"

But Tracey began with a devilish laughter and continue poking her. Daphne ran ahead but with Tracey chasing close after her. They felt happy and carefree today. It was a very different outlook for Daphne did not care to put on her mask today. She was back to being herself just for a day.

Then he came. Daphne knew that nothing would ever be perfect when it comes to her. When she was young, the fun, joy and laughter would end with her father punishing her for not taking her emotions in check. Just like now, right in front of her was a group of students with Malfoy in front. She froze and within a split moment, the Ice princess persona was back on her.

"What do you want?"

Tracey turned sour as well at that sight. She stood beside Daphne, ready to defend her at any time.

"Why did you talk to those Weasels from Gryffindor?" He questioned.

"Why do you even care?" Daphne retorted.

"Because we are Slytherins and Slytherins should never be seen together with anybody from Gryffindor."

It was a very stupid and outrageous statement to make. But that was Malfoy. He is a nonsensical person with his bigotry views.

"Oh! But don't you always talk to Longbottom? Are you saying you're a hypocrite?"

Malfoy cringed at his statement being thrown back. Even his two goons, as you guessed it, Crabbe and Goyle were questioning him.

"That is different!" he shouted back angrily. His cool composure gone within the blink of an eye. "But you and your half-blood should keep yourselves in check. I do not condone such actions or else my father will see you get expelled!"

"Oh! But you see, my father will be there blocking your attempt." Daphne smirked. Inside her though, she was seething at her using him as a scapegoat. She did not want anything to do with him but she would admit that he is a very good politician.

"You! I will write to my father about this transgression! But before that, it's time to have some fun." He pulled out his wand.

Without any hesitation, the two girls pulled theirs out as well. There would be hell to pay today.

"_Locomotor Wibbly_!" Malfoy shouted out as he aimed towards Daphne.

Daphne had some training in duelling before and would know how to dodge that sloppy spell. She moved aside before firing back.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" She shouted as she aimed at Malfoy. He was as arrogant as usual. He thought his spell would hit the target and before he even knew what happened, he fell to the spell, paralysed.

"That will teach you a lesson!" Daphne scoffed. "Never mess with me."

But that was not all to be. The goons behind her as well as Parkinson and Nott began pulling out their wands and were going to fire at the two girls.

"Uh oh… Daph, shall we run?"

She shook her head. "They would catch up with us in no time. I rather fight back."

Four bolts of spells flew towards them while they were talking. They were too inexperienced and distracted to dodge. But to their amazement, they saw a cloth fell from on top in front of them, absorbing the spells. The cloth began burning in fire. At least one of the spells must be _incendio_. They were lucky to escape without any injuries.

Daphne and Tracey thought that it was Harry who protected them. But instead, they saw the Hogwarts' one and only poltergeist – Peeves.

"What do we have here? Four students fighting against two girls? How unfair and naughty you kids are!" He laughed before he pull out water bombs from merlin knows where. "Well, since you children are so playful today, let's play!" And he began throwing it at the four.

"RUN!" Nott begin shouting out as they ran for their life from Peeves the troublemaker. The four students did not know what damage he could do and that they did not want any more trouble. Peeves just laughed at seeing them escape before he turned towards the two girls.

"Oh what do we have here?"

Daphne began to show her appreciation regardless. The cloth that was in flame was put out as it burned into ashes.

"Thank you for your help Peeves. Didn't know that you were the type."

"You are right there! Someone gave me a tip-off that I could have fun over here and thus I came. But they ran away and now I could not play anymore."

"Oh but you see Peeves," Daphne pointed out at the lone figure still on the floor, forgotten by his friends. "There is still someone you can play with. You could do anything to him like maybe paint him in pink?"

At that, Peeves turned and indeed, he saw Malfoy still lying down. Even though he was paralysed, fear could be seen in his eyes. "This will be enough for me." Peeves cackled evilly. "It's time to play!" He grabbed him and flew off to somewhere else.

"Whew…" Tracey said, lucky that they had escaped from the confrontation.

"Yes indeed… What is that on the floor?" Daphne pointed to a piece of paper left behind. She went forward and peruse through it. It was an acromantula drawn on it coupled with it wishing Daphne happy birthday.

'_There! This is the eighth card. I'm guessing that since I'm twelve this year, there will be twelve cards.'_ Daphne smiled to herself.

Time passed quite fast and before they knew it, it was getting dark outside. Tracey pulled Daphne out of her study streak just to make sure she could prepare herself for the dinner that Harry planned.

"Tracey! What's going on? Why are you pulling me all the way back to the dungeons?"

"Well you see, we won't be having dinner in the great hall tonight."

Daphne raised her eyes as she heard of that. "What? Why? Then how will we be consuming our dinner?"

"We will be eating out tonight!" Tracey declared happily.

"What! What about my French cuisine? What about my secret admirer...?" Daphne questioned sadly. She would definitely be missing the finale she thought that would be held in the great hall. The delicacies she ate during lunch was her last and yet she thought there would be more during dinner. She did blame her own logic in that.

Tracey gave an evil smirk. "We will see. Just wear something casual and comfortable for a picnic."

As the girls walked outside, they could feel the cold breeze blowing through their body. They shivered

"You better give me a good reason why we are eating outside..." Daphne threatened her best friend. It was such an outrageous idea.

"Err..." She scratched her head trying to formulate a reply before deciding to give up on it. She pulled Daphne along to the black lake. "Let's just enjoy it alright?"

But inside, Tracey was feeling taxed. She hoped it would end up well for Daphne. A miracle would do the work.

Along the way, there were lighted up arrows showing the way. The girls felt in awe at that impressive magic just like they did for the fireplace. Whoever planned this, or rather, Harry was really good. They knew inside that it was him who did all these for her birthday.

Just at the end of the route, there was the words _'Happy birthday Daphne!'_ Once again and this time, a hydra was drawn with it.

_'That's the ninth symbol. Harry, surprise me again for the last three wishes and I am sure this will be my best birthday celebration ever in my life.'_ Daphne thought joyfully.

It was getting darker and colder by the minute. The two girls were frigid as they had not worn thick clothing as according to Tracey, she said casual wear.

"Why did I listen to you Tracey?" Daphne glared at her.

"Because I'm your best friend?" She tried placating her whole smiling awkwardly. She was shivering inside too and hoped to Merlin Harry planned something warm.

Finally they reached their destination. Right in front of them was a picnic cloth with a three sticks of candle placed, giving the whole place a romantic feel. There were fire in the surroundings at a distance away, heating and regulating the temperature within the area whilst not burning anything within. It felt warm and maybe kind of cosy here as Daphne thought.

"My first picnic Trace!" She screamed in joy before running over and setting herself down. Without anyone around, she could be totally carefree, free from all the burden she had in this world, even better than she was previously within the Great Hall.

Tracey followed her behind joyously as well. She felt happy for her friend. As soon as she sat, food began appearing on the picnic mat. Magic was in play tonight.

Then they saw someone walking towards them. The silhouette made him seem bigger than normal but Tracey knew who that was.

"Harry!" She shouted out.

"Hello girls. Happy birthday Daphne!" Harry spoke and for the first time, he did not call her by Greengrass.

"Harry... You called me..." Daphne felt stupefied and joy simultaneously.

"Yes Daphne. Unless you prefer Greengrass?" Harry deadpanned.

"No! Of course not... It's just..."

"So overwhelming? Shocking? Wonderful?" Tracey added as she smiled at Daphne. "It was Harry here who planned the entire day to celebrate your birthday."

"Harry... Before anything else, I just want to say that this is my best birthday ever." Tears of happiness glistened in her eyes. She was really touched.

Harry placed a hand on her shoulder. "I want you to know that there are still people who care about you. So don't be depressed again alright?"

Daphne gave him a smile and nodded at Tracey. "Thank you guys. Thank you for being with me and giving me the best birthday present ever."

"Daph?" Tracey asked, curious about her words.

"Celebrating birthday with me. Harry, did you place all the wishes in the school for me?"

Harry nodded. "To tell you the truth, everything was prepared by me. I hope it is alright and that nothing went wrong."

"It's totally PERFECT! Glad that I gave you the job instead!" Tracey laughed.

Daphne was curious at her words. "Wait what? You mean you threw everything to him?"

"Yup!" Tracey chirped happily.

"Ah. I'm sorry Harry. She is just so... Argh" Daphne tried apologizing but was frustrated at how her best friend was reacting to this.

Harry just waved off her statement. "It's nothing I couldn't do."

Daphne gave him a genuine smile. A smile that showed how much she really enjoyed today. She enjoyed the surprise of a secret admirer from the morning to the portraits and statue, as well as the beautiful owl and so on. As she thought of all those, she became perplexed at the recurring drawing.

"By the way, what was all those drawings all about?"

Harry for the first time looked abashed. "Well you see, I actually intended to give you twelve wishes to signify that you are twelve this year. But then, I became aware it was kind of excessive so I decided to stop at nine."

"Aww... Harry, you are so sweet!" Tracey added. "Can I be your girlfriend?"

Daphne was blown away by her straightforward question. Harry though did not know what was going on since he had not read any novel on romance before coupled with his lack of interaction with others. The reaction on Daphne was enough for him to wait for her answer.

Daphne was glaring at Tracey. Though both of them had crushes on Harry, they had that silent agreement of letting fate decide if it would become love in the future. So Daphne did the only thing that would be beneficial to him and herself and looking at the confused expression on Harry, she knew it would be the way done.

"Actually Harry, she was asking you if she could be your friend. She was too nervous that she blurted out boy. I'm her girl friend too you see."

Tracey just looked on open-mouthed as her best friend debased her declaration. To her stupor, Harry went along with her. But it was more of Harry's ignorance on the subject matter.

"I understand Daphne. Thank you for your clarification. It more or less confirm my own thought processes too. I would be glad to be your friend Davis, or should I say Tracey?"

But said girl was glaring at Daphne who was doing the same thing back to her. Harry knew better than to ask for an answer. The group fell into awkward silence as they finally finished their dinner.

"Well then, this is it. I hope you enjoyed today. I will need to ensure things are all cleared before resting for the night."

"Once again, thanks Harry for today. We could just have a picnic in the future and that will suffice."

Harry gave a nod before wishing the two girls good night as they walked back.

Harry gave a sigh of relief as the day finally ended. It was really stressful of him to plan this birthday, more so because he had no idea how to. He was glad then that the idea given by the Weasley twins worked so well. But actually, all those extra wishes were really redundant in his opinion and he did not know why he went on ahead with that. Maybe it was just to reassure himself in his planning? Well Harry really did not know about that.

* * *

_Locomotor Mortis - _Leg-locker curse

_Petrificus Totalus - _Full body-bind curse

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**A/N: Hope you guys enjoy it! This chapter is a filler to show the improving relationship between Harry, Tracey and Daphne. The birthday wishes were a bit redundant in my opinion but since I have already written down those parts before I found it excessive, I decided to just leave it be. **

**So moral of the story? Celebrating someone's birthday should be simple. :)**

**Anyway I will be writing down some answers I hope that could clarify some doubts the reviewers had. If you find any problems or loop holes in my story, please by all means give me a PM or write down a review. This is my first piece of fanfiction and I really do hope it serves as a good learning experience for me. I will be trying to give the whole story an edit sometime in the future to make it flow more smoothly. But until then, I am more or less concentrating on continuing it.**

_"So an abused Harry Potter can talk suavely to Hagrid ... and even if he could, would the half-giant pick up on that attempt at acting confident?"_

**More or less, the Harry I imagine inside my mind is a very smart one. He could pick up things very easily. That is how he could talk suavely to Hagrid because he had seen adults using the same style to persuade someone into doing something. Maybe I will add a flashback on that but that would be in the future.**

_"Why would Harry even think he was rich? Just because he received a letter to attend a magical school, it would change nothing that he knew about his parents"_

**He entered his trust vault. Reminder: he saw heaps of galleons in it, to be exact, fifty-thousand galleons. That is like two-hundred and fifty thousand pounds according to the web on hp-lexicon. That is hella lot of money. He did not find out he was rich because he received the letter to attend a magical school.**

_"Then there's the fact that Hagrid saw Harry crawl out from a cupboard ... and he doesn't say anything about it?"_

**Hmm… That is a serious hole in my plot and I agree with you with it. I will cover it soon.**

_"You need to remember that he's still 11 years old. His figure of speech is too refined, almost like as if he's a fully grown adult"_

**Okay. I do not deny it that his figure of speech is too refined. That is my bad. I will give it a look-over in the future. But for now, your point is noted.**

_"That did not question him more about he paralyzed them or the darkness. It is definitely not something learned in first year."_

**Daphne and Tracey are still not close to Harry at the point in time. Also they were too happy to escape from the goons to even think about it. But in the future, they will be asking Harry more or less on the paralyzing effect or in other words, his skills in shadow manipulation. **

_"Also as a Shadow Mage and Fire Elementalist, would he not be able to produce Shadow Fire/Flames? "_

**They are separate affinities in this case.**

_"More confrontation between Ron/Neville and Harry being shown as well as Draco/Harry problems...it has been a few weeks/months since Harry has not accepted Draco's leadership/superiority-complex."_

**As far as the story goes, Harry had not reveal himself yet to Ron/Neville. Just that Ron dislikes all Slytherins and did question why he as a Potter was in Slytherin. As for Harry and Draco, there are definitely many confrontation going on but it was too insignificant in this case to mention in the story. ****But I do thank you for that reminder to input more confrontation between them.**

_"The way it is going it seems as though it is going to be more a three-way then a one-on-one type relationship..."_

**For now, it will be a three-way. But as they grow older, Tracey will realize that it was more or less a crush and Daphne's crush will blossom more into something more. Harry and Daphne have many similarities that allow them to gel together on a better understanding.**

**As for the limit towards shadow walking, I decided to input this sentence _"He could not go through walls or anything hard in the real world. It was built the same in the dark dimension somehow or another."_ So that Harry could not breeze through everything with ease. There are more ways to block Shadow walk and manipulation as the story goes on but for now, the explanation and idea that it seems invincible suffice.**

* * *

As of now, Harry has experiences in the following skills:

Basic Occlumency and Legilimency. (He did not have experience in those mind arts just basic shields, emotional control and all; As for Legilimency, he knows of the spell but he had not yet try it out on anyone; basic mind alteration by adding fake memory and memory ignorance spell)

Basic Ancient Runes knowledge. (He could power Privacy runes, anti-fire runes, magic supressors)

Shadow manipulation (He knows of the basic properties such as shadow walk which is done by compressing space and stopping time for that moment; paralysing human by bring a part of him/her inside the dark dimension; see in the dark, a by-product of entering the dark dimension

Fire affinity (Able to coax small bits of fire in the direction he wants; catching a ball of fire within his hand; controlling the heat and destructiveness of flame; not affected hugely by fire)

Wandless magic (Unlocking spell, Levitation - both without using any magical focus)

Basic magical control (He could channel his magic within and without of his body easily; he could technically turn magic into a bludgeoning force to push a target; Using magic as a way to sense any objects with ambient magic through SONAR;

Simple first year spells (Incendio, warming charm, petrificus totalus)

Basic three dark magic (bowel-constricting spell, blood-vanishing spell, black hole spell)**_  
_**

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**Hopefully that covers all of them. I may miss out some minor details. By all means, tell me and I will update my mistakes. Thanks guys :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

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Chapter 9

It was finally the last day the students would stay at Hogwarts for those who wanted to depart for home tomorrow. A day had passed since Harry celebrated Daphne's birthday and now, their relationship was much closer than ever. Even Tracey became closer to him more than he would ever have thought to be.

They were having a walk as the girls discussed about their plans when they go home with Harry following behind in his own thoughts regarding what he would be doing over the two weeks of break in Hogwarts.

He would definitely be exploring what exactly was hidden underneath the Cerberus and maybe he could find some priceless treasure. Well, that would be the secondary objective. Primarily, he just wanted to understand what was their headmaster doing and why was he setting a trap in the school.

"Hey Harry, what have you planned for the next two weeks?" Tracey asked him. The two girls had slowed down enough until they were walking beside him. It was going to be a 'questioning Harry' session.

"I will be staying at Hogwarts spending most of my time studying." he replied without a second thought.

"What! How can you be so boring? Daphne! We have another you in Hogwarts..." Tracey commented dejectedly. Daphne however giggled at that.

"Well isn't that a good thing? I can have someone to talk to and share my opinions academically with!" Daphne added happily.

"But but..."

"I do agree with Daphne on this point. Studying is really fun."

Tracey was awestruck. "How could you Harry. How could you betray your girl friend! I thought we were together on this?"

"Well Trace, stop with that word play of yours. We know that Harry is just your friend. But he is my boy friend right Harry?" Daphne added before winking at Tracey.

Harry however did not know exactly what was going on. He could not understand the romantic under-meaning behind those words. But there was definitely one thing going on in his mind. _'Girls are weird.'_

Just then, Daphne decided to ask him. "But why would you want to stay in Hogwarts instead of going back home?"

A small imperceptible twitch of his eye brow could be seen. Only those who were really observant would see it and just as lady luck would have it, Daphne was included in that group. She saw it and decided to note it down in her mind.

"Why not? I mean there's a wealth of information right here in the school and I get to use magic over the two weeks."

It was a reasonable explanation. Tracey understood his 'reasons' totally whereas Daphne knew there were more to be seen than his thirst for knowledge and freedom to use magic.

"I understand that Harry. My mom forbid me from using magic at home whenever she was not around to supervise! I mean I'm going to be twelve next year and she is still so worried about me hurting myself! Oh gosh!"

Daphne, however reminded her of how lucky she was. "Tracey, don't think like that. You are so lucky to have such a caring family! I would do anything to exchange mine with yours."

There was a blush of embarrassment on Tracey. She took a peek towards Harry before whispering into Daphne's ear. "Does Harry know?"

Daphne gave a nod before Tracey decided to continue with her sentence. "I'm sorry Daphne. Anyway, maybe you could come over to my home sometime before New Year? We could celebrate both Christmas and New year together on the same day!"

Daphne gave Tracey a slight smile. "I do really hope I could though. No promises there Trace."

Tracey gave Daphne a pat on her shoulder. "I understand best friend." She turned over to Harry. "What about you Harry? You want to come over and have a fun time with me and this girl over here?"

Harry politely decline her offer." I'm sorry. Maybe next time?"

She raised an eye brow. "But why not? You could always get permission to come for that single day?"

Harry tried really hard to come out with something but he had no idea of what excuse to give this time. It was really lucky for him that he was saved from the conversation by the commotion coming from the other side of the bushes.

"Let's go check it out!" Harry told his friends briskly. "We might get an entertainment from this."

They grinned. Right there in front on one side were Malfoy with Parkinson and Nott. It was a surprise to see him alone without Crabbe and Goyle, his personal guards. But they were probably lost somewhere in Hogwarts. Merlin knows how they even entered Hogwarts with those pea-brains they have, especially when they would follow Malfoy, a bragger without the skills to back him up.

As on the other side, the golden trio with Neville as the unofficial leader of the group was standing there arguing with Malfoy. It would be an extremely entertaining spectacle for Harry, Daphne and Tracey as they hid themselves behind the bushes.

"Say, who do you think will win this confrontation?" Tracey whispered to the two of them.

"I would rather the golden trio win. If Malfoy ever wins, he will just brag on in the common room and I doubt we can ever get a rest from it." Daphne answered truthfully.

The girls looked over at Harry, waiting for his response. It was then an idea struck him. "Hey girls, are you in for some fun today?"

They perked up at that, Daphne more so than Tracey for the first time. She was probably hating the idea of going back home to see her father and was willing to spend more time with her friends, enjoying the moment while she could.

"Let's see here. We will be…" Harry whispered to the two girls, getting a grin and smirk from Tracey and Daphne respectively. It was time for an ambush and a fun with snow.

"Hey mudblood!" Malfoy taunted. "Why are you even here at Hogwarts?"

"Malfoy! Shut up!" Ron shouted back with his trademark retort.

"Oh? Did I hear a blood traitor shouting? Pansy? Theo?"

"Yes Draco!" Parkinson smirked.

"Well, I think it's time for them to learn their placing don't you think?" Nott suggested.

Malfoy smirked and looked back at the trio. Neville took a step forward.

"Malfoy. You should stop trying to pick on my friends. What have they done to you?" Neville enquired. He was trying to defuse the whole situation. Conflict was meaningless in his opinion.

"Longbottom, go away. I have nothing to do with you. You want an answer? Their very existence brings shame to us. Don't you see?" Malfoy sneered. "How about you join us instead? We could become very powerful." He extended a hand to try and bring in Neville.

But instead, Neville shook his head. "Sorry Malfoy. I won't be going against my friends. Unless you finally become more mature and treat them with respect, I say this friendship you extend to me will never work."

Hermione was very impressed with his friend at this point. "Neville! You are really very mature you know? I rarely see anybody who could think like you do at our age…"

"Wow! You show them who the boss is mate!" Ron gave an approval to his friend's actions too but more so because he declined Malfoy's offer of friendship and ally.

"Thanks guys."

But Malfoy was not letting the matter go. Instead, when diplomacy failed, his next planned action was to jab at the trio so that they would fight back, giving him the chance to use magic on them with reasonable explanation.

"Mudblood! Can't say anyone is uglier than you! Look at those buck-teeth! How very disappointing! Pansy over here is so much sexier than you!"

Pansy gave a nod. She screeched, "I don't know what Longbottom sees in you mudblood! Maybe you are here for Weasel? I think both of you would be good together. A tramp and a bitch gives a wonderful combination!"

"PARKINSON! That's it!" Ron turned red at her statement. He was boiling with anger at how she derided both him and Hermione. Tears began forming on her eyes. But, they brought out their wands still. "If a fight is what you want, then a fight is what I will give you Malfoy!" Ron shouted.

"You've gone too far Malfoy…" Neville said in a very threatening voice. Insulting him was one thing. But to go beyond by insulting his friends, he could not stand for it.

At the same time, Harry gave Daphne the signal to start with their operation. He was on the opposite side from the two girls hidden behind the lush vegetation.

"Come Parkinson, Nott, let's show them who will be the victor today." Malfoy ordered, bringing out his wand. But at that moment, he felt something pelt his head.

"Who did that?!" He looked behind him in the direction where the object was threw. Just then, another hit him from his left side. Nott and Parkinson was not spared too.

"Grrr…" Malfoy clenched his fist, seemingly forgotten about the golden trio and now more focused on the unknown assailants.

"Hey Malfoy! Look here!" Ron shouted out and threw a snowball, just in time to pelt him directly on his face. He was not about to look into the gift horse in its mouth.

"Oh! You should see that action! It's priceless!" Ron began laughing, joined in by Hermione and Neville.

"THAT'S IT!" Malfoy shouted out, feeling totally frustrated. His whole attention was now fully concentrated on the golden trio instead, where he had vision on them. "Attack!"

But what happened to the duel? Well the three Slytherins did not have any reasons now that their opponents were not using wands. Instead, they kept their wands and a snowball fight ensued.

Harry, Daphne and Tracey were having so much more fun just throwing snowballs without getting any returns from them. They did not have any remorse in hitting their own housemates because they were too annoying, nor at the golden trio just because of the simple house rivalry. After all, this was just a simple snowball fun in Christmas!

But something happened in the midst of the fight. Harry saw Neville getting frustrated at the unknown assailants that he decided to call a truce between Malfoy so that they could instead find out who they were. Hell has definitely frozen all over from the fact that the two groups of enemy were allying together.

Harry could definitely hide from them but if they were to find out the girls were involved, they might not be able to get peace for the rest of their stay in Hogwarts. Furthermore, it was him who brought them into this operation of enjoying the fight from the side lines. Thus, he followed his instincts and did a very stupid thing.

Daphne and Tracey knew that it was too late to run. They could not possible out-chase the six of them. If they were to move now, the new allied forces would be attracted to their sound immediately, causing them to lose their position instead. They were thinking of how screwed up their lives would be if they were to be drawn into the conflict between the golden trio and Malfoy's fellowship. They would not get a single day of peace with Malfoy about.

Thus, the girls did the next best thing. They hoped for a miracle to happen and indeed, it happened.

As they formed a line and move outwards, it was only a matter of time before the unknown assailants were found out by them. Just as the girls' luck would be, Malfoy was the one moving in their direction. Just then, they felt themselves being suffocated as someone embraced them from the back. They felt a hand on their shoulders and wanted to turn to see for themselves who touched them. But they could not move and neither could they breathe. It was a really terrible feeling like their whole body was going to implode upon themselves. Then they saw him. Malfoy walked past them as if they were invisible.

Though their body could not react, their mind certainly could. They were relieved to not be seen. But now came the problem of breathing. If that block on their lungs were not remove soon, they would die instead.

Just as soon as Malfoy disappeared behind them, the person in between them let go of their body, allowing their organs to resume their normal activities. Air never felt so good. They were both panting from the lack of oxygen and slowly, once they caught back their breath, they turned and saw Harry right smack where the person causing that suffocation feeling would be.

"Harry?" Daphne let out.

Just then, Harry walked off shaking his head. The girls could hear him mumbling under his breath about 'why did he just do that'. It seems Daphne had one more question to solve for the enigma known as Harry Potter.

Harry was shaking his head, wondering why he had let the secret out of the bag. It was bad enough to let them know of his knowledge in Ancient Runes, but shadow manipulation was something he really wanted nobody to know. Still, his instincts told him that the welfare of the two girls were more worth it than the secret he had.

* * *

"Harry, you will write to us over Christmas right?" Tracey asked him as they were standing by the carriage that would bring those leaving for Christmas to Hogsmeade station.

He gave a nod before looking onwards, wondering what the creature was in front of the carriages. It looked kind of like a horse with a skeletal body with wide leathery wings.

Just then, he turned over and look at Daphne. She had really changed a lot ever since he first met her. Maybe it was just because they were friends now and his point of view was different from before? But now as he looked at Daphne, he could see how beautiful her eyes were. It was said that our eyes were the windows to our soul. Harry could see very clearly now that inside the cool and calm girl was a very beautiful but fragile soul.

"Harry... Can you give me a hug?" She asked sincerely. Daphne did not want to go back home. She did not want to see her father at all. She was going back home just for the sake of seeing her sister Astoria and to see if their mother was alright. But for now, she needed some assurance from the person whom she told her secrets to.

Harry walked forward and embraced her. If it was any other people, he would reject him or her. But this was his friend and he knew she needed someone to be there for her, someone to acknowledge her existence.

"Daphne, tell me if you need someone there. I will lend you my ears and shoulders just like before. Don't be reckless again alright?" Harry said sincerely for the first time in his life, wishing someone else not to get hurt and to tell him if she needed help.

Daphne gave a nod before waving him good bye as she and Tracey went on the carriage back to Hogsmeade and transfer to Hogwarts express back home.

* * *

Harry thought back to the times he had here in Hogwarts. When he first met the two girls, he pushed them away because he did not want to befriend anybody in fear of becoming attached to them only to be betrayed just like how he was in the past. But slowly, they warmed into his heart, breaking past the cool and emotionless barrier he set upon himself to prevent anyone from coming in. Daphne especially was really close in his heart now because she had trust him with her secret. It was really invigorating to know of someone trusting him instead of the other way around.

Thus, Harry decided to take the first step back into this uncharted water of friendship, hoping it would not bite him back in the future.

But if he were to admit, he had much fun when he trained with them, especially when they were more well-learned than him in those areas. The snowball fight was hilarious too as the three of them assaulted Malfoy and the golden trio from the side-lines, creating chaos. But he had let out the secret of shadow manipulation to the girls almost. He knew he needed to answer them when they come back from Christmas. It was more of a trust issue now and he did not want the girls to dislike him instead because he did not divulge his secrets.

For now, Harry would be learning some basic combat spells before he explore the third floor corridor to find what treasures were held beneath the trapdoor. It was dangerous but he knew he would not die because he would be using shadow manipulation to escape if need be.

For the next few days, Harry was quite refreshed to find the school empty. It was quiet and he total enjoyed the tranquillity within the school. He had spent more of his time preparing on his journey through the trapdoor, learning simple blasting curse, C_onfringo_ and the reductor curse, _Reducto_ to aid him in destroying obstacles. He also practiced on the basic spells learned with Daphne and Tracey such as the severing curse, _Diffindo_, the shield charm, _Protego_ and the rope-binding hex, _Incarcerus_. With these knowledge firmly brought to the forefront of his mind so he could bring them out anytime, he was more or less prepared to solve the mystery.

Thus when it struck midnight, Harry knew it was time for him to begin his mission of uncovering the secret beneath the Cerberus. It was known as operation Holmes in tribute of his favourite character Sherlock Holmes.

Once he was outside the Slytherin common room, he shadow walked to the entrance of where he thought would be the Cerberus' hideout. It was comforting for Harry to be conducting this operation under the guise of darkness. He loved the stealth and power when he was hidden from all eyes.

Before entering, he released twenty percent of the suppressor he had on him. He needed every weapon he could have and would not be taking any chances here.

"_Alohomora_." He waved his wand and the door unlocked. He was not surprised at that seeing the headmaster wanting to trap a professor within the room. What better way than to give him the sense of ease only to find out he could not escape? But for Harry, he had his shadow manipulation as the first and last resort. He was without fear tonight.

The three-headed beast was right in front of him, staring menacingly. It was intimidating in its own way. Seeing Harry, it started snarling, only to be put into sleep from the flute played by Harry. This flute actually belonged to Hagrid and he had borrowed it that time when the golden trio decided to visit him. Harry knew it had served its purpose and kept it back inside his robe.

He went on, opening the trapdoor and entered the dark dimension to view what dangers lay ahead for him. Just then, the contrast of his vision got inversed. He could see vines and vegetation right underneath the trapdoor. Inside his mind, gears were turning.

_'It can only be a plant. But what kind of plant have vines and grow well in the dark? Obviously something that hates light. Well... Guess we have to see for ourselves what would happen to us and hopefully, it wouldn't be life-threatening.'_ Harry planned. He returned to the real world dimension before praying hard, taking out his wand and jumped down.

Squish! That was the sound made as he landed right within the vines. The plant began constricting him, trapping the prey that stupidly landed right in the middle of it. But what it did not know was the prey would become the predator instead.

_'Devil's snare!'_ "Incendio!"

Flame was produced from his wand. Harry tried persuading the flame to form a circle around him. He promised it that it could destroy and consume everything along its wake. With his affinity for fire, the flame was more subservient to his magic than any other wizards, thus burning the devils snare. The plant could no longer hold on to his prey as the flame was destroying it. Harry fell down to the ground underneath.

"Well... That was easy." He muttered before continuing on his journey to face the next challenge.

Before he had entered the room, he could hear fluttering sounds. A cacophony of beating wings he presumed. That could mean danger for there might be insects that were flesh-eating. Deciding not to risk it, he opened the door slowly, bit by bit. To his relief, he could see for himself those flying objects were not insects and were keys instead. Without any sharp teeth and digestive systems, he would not be hurt that badly should they assault him. Thus he went on ahead to the next door, hoping it would open. Yet it did not. Grimacing, Harry tried using the unlocking spell which failed as well.

Time for him to test the new spell. "_Confringo_" Harry shouted as he pointed his wand, casting the blasting curse right on the door. The bolt of spell was absorbed the moment it hit it. Doors were charmed against spells. It seemed things would not be as easy as it was.

Turning back, he could see a floating broom right in the middle of the room. It was a test of flying skills. Fortunately for Harry, he did find flying to be sort of one of his natural talents in his humble opinion. Without hesitation, he took the broom and flew up to the highest spot, giving him a bird's eye view of the entire room and flying keys.

Just as he thought, right there out of the thousand keys was a very unique key. He could sense some magic coming from it that was linked to the keyhole at the door. Deciding at that moment to take the gambit, Harry dived immediately directing the broom towards that one key.

The speed of the broom accelerated as gravity and magic worked together as one. But things would not be easy, just as he expected. The key, as if it had instinctual feelings began flying off in the same direction, escaping from the predator. This gave confirmation that the key was the right one after all since he could guess it was the wrong one, it would not be escaping from him.

He flew and flew, closer and closer he got as the key circle around the room, trapped within the limited space. It would be a matter of time before Harry caught it in his hands given his natural talent he found in flying. He felt exhilarated and victorious at completing this mission, more so since he did not know flying made him feel so free and awesome. He plans to buy a broom next year just for the sake of enjoying flying.

But the moment of exhilaration had to come to an end as soon as he touch the key for every single other flying keys suddenly turned rogue and headed in his direction, intending to pierce through his body of blood and flesh. Harry began rounding about the room, luring every single keys so that they would be behind him instead. Now that his path forward was free, he headed directly to the door, adrenaline pumping in him as he had his vision turned tunnel. It was little wonder Ron hit that wall that time because it was indeed really hard to focus on anything else other than the target he was chasing after. But for him, Harry was lucky since it was the door and not something else.

The moment he reached as close as possible, he jumped off the broom, placing the key into the hole before turning it. Just moments shy of hitting the door, he turned the handle, banging the door right open before continuing in his line of motion through it. He heard 'thuds' behind him and knew more or less those keys were charmed to stay within that room. It was a fortunate escape for him. Who knew that such a simple task was so dangerous?

Harry decided not to underestimate the challenges that were to come. But for now, he was on the ground, delightful to escape from any serious injuries.

Just as he finally caught on his breath and let his mind calm down from the previous thrill, he realised he was lying on a chessboard. Right in front of him were pieces, gigantic chess pieces – the rook, the bishop, the queen, the knight and the king.. He was kind of tired now and was not in for a game of chess.

Pushing himself up, Harry entered the dark dimension and continued past the pieces towards the door. They had not realise he just passed them. Once he reached his destination, he tried opening the door but to his amusement, it did not open. He tried blasting off the door and yet again, it was absorbed.

'_Think Harry think! Obviously I have to win this chess match. But how do I show the door I won it? Hmm… I have nothing to lose.' _Harry thought of an ingenious idea. He went on ahead until he was directly behind the king.

"Here goes nothing! _Reducto_!" A bolt flew from his wand, hitting the king and blowing it apart. Harry went on ahead and try on the handle of the door. Amazingly, it worked and allowed him to enter. But the next moment, a stench of old toilet began hitting his olfactory senses. It felt familiar as if...

"Oh, not trolls again!" He muttered under his breath as right in front of him was a troll much bigger than the one he saw and aid in killing during Halloween.

Thus he went back into the shadows, hiding totally from the creature right in front. If he was in the mood, he would be laughing at how useful his manipulation was. What a god send indeed!

And just as he entered the next room, black fire appeared, cutting him from the exit and entrance. But knowing of his affinity in flame, he tried coaxing it to part to allow him to pass, though to no avail. Seems that the black flame was much too strong and powerful for him to control now. He decided to try his luck and walked closer to it. There was no heat coming from it. He thought it might be an illusion and decided to place his hand over the flame. To his amazement, he was not burned. It was no illusion as the flame did flickered right when he place his hand through.

He could feel relief coursing through him as it seemed his affinities had aided him once again. Knowing not to fall into the same mistake once again, he stripped off his robe made of acromantula silk that could not even stand the power of _incendio_, and judging from the colour, this current flame was definitely stronger. He would not want to waste his robe again.

Little did he know that it was actually his own work that day that resulted in the raging fire, increasing its heat and potency so much so that it could burn through silk which normal flame could not.

So awkwardly, he began moving forward in his glory, wand on his hand. He seriously hope there would be nobody else in front. Even if he was still technically a minor who did not have hormones bugging him, flashing to another person would be totally embarrassing for him.

He opened the door, and to his amazement, he saw the Mirror of Erised. But what was even more surprising was the black flame dissipated. Harry could guess the flame gets activated only when someone was standing right within the perimeter. He used his magic to levitate his robes and quickly wore it. Now came the next mystery.

_'Why would Dumbledore hide the mirror here?'_ Harry questioned himself, thinking if this was the so called treasure hidden beneath so many protections. He walked towards the mirror and stood right in front of it. Initially, he thought it would just be his family right in the reflection.

But he saw the addition of another person right in it. She was standing beside him, holding his hand and smiling beautifully to him. That was really shocking in his opinion. Had he really gotten so close to her that she would be part of his most desired things? Or was it that he desired her to smile and really be happy for once?

Regardless of that, he saw his counterpart suddenly taking an object, a blood-red stone out from his pocket before showing it to him and placing it back. At that point in time, the same increase in weight could be felt in reality. It was a very complicated piece of magic.

He took out the stone and take a look at it. It felt alive but he did not know what it was. A little research and spying on the golden trio and Hagrid would possibly lead him to the answer. He smiled for the first time. Operation Holmes was completed successfully.

* * *

It was the festive seasons once again. Wizards and witches all over magical Britain were enjoying themselves as they prepare for Christmas. However, it was not for Daphne. The moment she came back home, her father immediately ordered her to visit his studies' room.

"Daphne. Tell me why did you antagonise the heir of Malfoy?" Her father crossed his arms, sternly looking at her.

Daphne gave a slight gulp. As much as she could control her emotions in front of others, her father was a different task. Though she had to admit. Harry had the same cold and emotionless mask as her father did when she first met him. But what was different between the two was her father had control over her well-being and her life. Wizarding customs called for a patriarchal society, which made all female second-rate citizen the moment they were born.

It was really unfair. Your life and fate would be chosen the moment you were born. A matter of chance and that would affect the rest of your life. Daphne had always been hoping that one day, she could escape from the clutches of her father's. But she knew that it would be impossible for he was a master in the game of politics, giving him the finesse and intelligence required in extensive planning for her entire life. He would be ensuring she got wed out to an influential family, allowing himself to gain even more social and political power.

But a child could always hope right?

"Father. He tried forcing his way on me. It wouldn't do you any good if anything were to happen to me prior to being wedded." Daphne answered emotionlessly. She hated what she just told him about how she was under his beck and call. But she would cross the bridge when the time comes. For now, she would be the good little girl her father wanted.

He gave a nod. "The Malfoy is a rich and powerful family. The next time you see their offspring, try to cut back on your attitude towards him. It wouldn't do me good if we make another enemy that could potentially be an ally."

Daphne was disgusted at how selfish he was. Her father only saw two things in his life – himself and himself. Nothing mattered as long as he could get what he want. Money, power and even his own blood and wife would be used so long he would attain more power.

"Yes father, I understand."

Her father gave another nod. "You are dismissed. But do try to befriend him. Though I approve of your choice in Potter. With you around, I could possibly rein him in and the house of Greengrass would be one of the most powerful house in Magical Britain."

Daphne gave a curtsy before exiting the room. She did not want to stay any longer in the presence of that deplorable man. How could he think of Harry as a way to pursue his own means? Daphne would protect that boy no matter how much it took, even by leaving him so that his father would not touch him. She was her friend, and the only person who really understood her more than her mother.

Now that seeing her father was done, she headed directly to find Astoria, her sister and prayed hard that their father did not influence her bubbly attitude. She really love it as it was the personality and character of her precious sister.

"Tori!" Daphne called for her as she entered her sister's room. But to her dismay, the moment she opened the door, her sister glared at her and screamed out.

"Why did you open my door without knocking Daphne? Don't think you are my sister, you can do anything you like!"

Daphne was appalled. Apparently, her sister was really brainwashed by her father into a cold monster like him from her first impression. "Tori! What happened?" She went on moving forward in a bid to hug her.

But Astoria instead stood up from her chair and push her away. "Stay away! Don't call me Tori anymore! I won't be weak like you or mother! Father taught me to be strong and I can feel how true his words are!"

"But...!" Daphne began crying now.

"See that! You can't even control your emotions pitiful sister. And what did I hear of you mistreating Draco? He will be mine in the future and with him around, we will be powerful!" Astoria said in a maniacal grin.

"Tori! Please! Don't get influence by father! Where is the kind and bubbly girl you were? Where is the Tori that I always play with in the past? Where is the girl who promised me to one day get out of his clutches together?!" Daphne was hysterical now at seeing her sister's attitude. It was a total shock to see what three months of absence and 'conditional training' her father could do.

"Tsk! Daphne, you should know me better than that. I was never cheerful and bubbly and neither did I ever promise you to leave father. Those were your imaginations."

"No! It can't be... Are you under the influence of a potion? Please tell me it is!" Daphne screamed hysterically at her sister.

"Nah. It's YOU who can't see the truth in front of you. We, Greengrass, are a proud and powerful family. We don't need you, like mother, who is so blinded by love. Now get out of my room. I have things to do, sister!" Astoria sneered.

Daphne ran out, crying all the way bad to her room and locked it. She could scarcely believe what her father did to Astoria. It was as if she became a totally different person. It could be the influence of potions or mind charms but for now, she knew her level of competency in those subjects were not up to her father's standard yet. It would bring more problems should her father find out what she was doing. For this, she knew she needed Harry's help in being sneaky.

Harry... Thinking about him made her remember of her promise to live her life fully. She wanted to escape from the pain once again as yet another person was taken away from her. Just like mother, her sister was now in total control of her father. How cruel he is to be doing such thing to them.

But there was also the possibility that her sister really changed. She could be blind-sided by power like how her father was. That would mean it is virtually impossible to drag her back to her past happy-go-lucky self unless a life-changing event occurred. She would try. Daphne would try her way to wake her sister from their father's influence.

For now though, she was just too anguished to do anything. Daphne only wanted someone to be there again to acknowledge her existence. She wanted him to be here with her as she tried to jump over this emotional hurdle. But it was too much to hope for. He was currently in Hogwarts and it was virtually impossible for him to come right into her room especially with the wards set up by father. But she could always hope. And when a person wished for something so much, it might have the vestiges of success right?

* * *

"Father, just as you expected, Daphne did come running into my room. I showed her how pathetic she was and how proud I am to be holding on to the Greengrass family name!" Astoria told her father excitedly as she bowed to him in his study room.

"Good job Astoria. I knew deep within you, there was a ruthless side which you inherited from me. So tell me, what do you want your father to do for you? Given what you have done in breaking your sister's spirit, I will be granting you a wish of your choosing, provided it is within my means." Her father praised with that emotionless voice of his.

Astoria beamed at the thought of having a wish as well as making her father proud. Now that she could finally have what she always wanted, she would tell her father of her childhood dream.

"Actually father, I… I hope that you will be able to promise me this one thing I've always wanted ever since I was a child." Astoria began nervously, hoping he would be true to his words.

Her father looked up at her words. He stood up and walked over to her side so that he could stand by her. As Astoria looked up at her father, she saw his facial expression and went to give him a hug. He ruffled her hair at seeing her daughter, the girl who would listen to him and would be the key to extending his power all over in Magical Britain.

"Name it."

"Well… Can I get betrothed to Draco Malfoy?" Finally finishing stating her wish, Astoria looked downwards immediately, getting jittery over what her father would say of her.

Instead, he placed his hand on her chin and pulled her face upwards so she could face him. He gave her a nod.

"Really!?" Astoria almost squealed at seeing her wish becoming true. "You are the best!"

Her father did indeed approved Astoria of her choice in getting betrothed to the Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy. They were on an equal standing with his own house and by allying with them together through a marriage, he believed that he could get the Lord of House Malfoy to align himself with his own political views and points as well, gaining a valuable masterful politician in the process. Now all it would take was to get a contract written down and hopefully, discuss a suitable dowry with Lord Malfoy.

Part of his work was done. Now all he needed to do was to get his heiress to get married into a powerful family. As of now, he did hope she would be able to rein in and influence the heir of Potter to her side. If not, there would be consequences to pay for her actions. That would mean he would force Daphne into a marriage she would never want as compared to the Potter boy.

Just like her mother, Daphne did not believe in his way of attaining power through marriages and corruption. His wife has tried in many occasions to break his ruthless attitude and way of doing things. But his obstinacy and thirst for power turned him into something more dark instead.

In the past, he would never thought of forcing her wife into slaving away her life for him. Now? The Lord of Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass did not care. Ever since she could not give birth to a male heir, he became angry and changed his schemes. She would have to give way to his whims and fancies, and he would force her to ensure Daphne did not stand in his path to supremacy.

* * *

She opened her eyes slowly. The very first thing that came to her vision was the colour white. Her mind slowly caught on to her other senses. She felt the ground was hard and her whole body was aching from lying down on it for long period of time. A light breeze hit her soon after, tickling her entire body as her robes fluttered slightly from it. She felt carefree for the first time, void of all emotional debauchery. She felt she was with the wind, and as clean as the white that filled the room she realised she was in. It was an amazing feeling and if this was what after-life awaited, she would gladly give in to it.

But the next moment, a sudden pressure could be felt pressing against her body. The moment of emotional detachment she felt previously was fleeting. Before she even had the chance to guess where and why was she here, her whole body became heavy. It was fortunate she was lying down for her legs would not be able to handle the sudden inbuilt of pressure on her. It was like gravity became twice as much as that on earth.

All those physical sensations were but a minor consideration though when compared to what she was feeling in her heart. It came too soon and too fast. Just like the opening of a dam, her entire emotions came deluging through her mind, overwhelming every single possible feelings she could have. But there was a similarity in these emotions – they were all negative. She felt anger, guilt, jealousy and grief. They were breaking her from inside. Her mind was about to be split apart. It was torturous and she wanted it to end right now'

Just then, a feeling came – someone was behind her. She had no idea when she was standing but apparently, two arms came snaking around her waist. Those arms felt familiar somehow as they provided her with comfort. But it was not enough to combat the pain battling within her heart and mind. She clutched her head instinctively, as if it would provide some form of relief though to no avail.

Yet it was the person behind that was her saving grace. Gradually, a comforting presence warm itself within her through the arms currently wrapped around her stomach. Love, care, happiness and hope began filling. It was an epic battle now that reinforcements came from the positive team of emotions. They fought within her, just like how war was done. Time seemed to slow down as that war of emotions began.

She envisioned it as the death eaters on one hand fighting against the other party which included the rest of the world. But alas, even after what felt like a seven days, seven night of perpetual battle, nobody had an advantage. It was a stalemate and the only collateral damage caused from it would be to the environment. In this case, her mind.

Just as she was about to lose it, the person behind appeared right in front of her. She could see his emerald green eyes, looking at her with thousands of emotions. She could see herself in the reflection of those beautiful eyes. The person leaned it suddenly, coming closer and closer. She was distracted momentarily from the turmoil within her mind as her attention was brought upon those lips. It was definitely be a 'he' in this case. She could not conceive the idea of kissing another girl.

Finally they met. She felt those soft lips on hers, giving her the sweetest taste on it. She could feel her whole body jolt in pleasure from what the kiss felt like. Her legs began wobbling as it suddenly lost the strength to support her body. But one thing was sure now, the turmoil within her finally stopped. It was won by the positive team. Love began filling through her. It began empowering her through ways thought impossible. What a wonderful feeling it was.

Just for that moment, she hoped it would last for eternity. She wanted to know who the person was and yet, there was no identity. Her mind was not functioning well to even contemplate of the person in front, just that he had those mesmerizing green eyes with the sweetest and softest lips she had ever felt.

Still, nothing ever lasts. He began backing up, breaking the contact with her. She wanted to push forward, to taste those lips again. Yet try as she might, her body was not responding. She wanted to cry out to him, to never leave her alone, but it was not to be. He gave her a smile which could light up the whole town. Happiness and love began flooding through her yet again. She found herself smiling, grinning, laughing and choking.

But why would she be chocking? Something was stuck within her throat. She could not breathe at that moment. Using her fingers, she clawed herself at the throat, trying to get that object out so she could breathe. Nevertheless, it was still there suffocating her. The world became dimmer and dimmer, before finally, it ended up in pitch black and she knew naught after that.

Daphne woke up with a start. Was everything just a dream? It felt so real that she could feel the lasting sensation of sweetness on her lips. But try as she might, she could vague recall what exactly happened. But she knew of the green-eyed person in it. There was only one person she knew with such stunning eyes – Harry potter. Did her wish come true and Harry actually visited her in her dreams?

That would be yet another mystery she needed to find out from him when the school resumed. She had a lot of questions for him like how did he paralysed her and Tracey that day when Malfoy came trying to ambush them, or did he really save Longbottom from the fall? There was another question regarding the recent close shave with Malfoy. How had she appear invisible to him when he was right in front of them? And why exactly was his reasons for not going home?

But the questions would wait. For now, her mother had come into her room. Daphne would have to find out what exactly create the change in her sister.

"Daphne dear? How are you feeling today? You didn't come down for dinner yesterday and I was so worried." She had a look of concern.

But Daphne was a girl on mission. "Mother, I'm fine. Thanks for asking." They had a hug before Daphne continued. "Mother, do you know why Tori become so belligerent towards me?"

Her mother gave a sigh. It was not a good sign at all. "Daphne, you have to understand that your father is trying to help both of you."

Daphne turned rigid at that. So her mother was affected by whatever influence from him as well?

"Help? Help me by trying to wedge a wall in between us? I thought you knew me better than that mother." She became emotionless. Now that she had an idea of where her mother stood, Daphne knew not to trust her. She was firmly controlled and influenced by her father, and to that, she did nothing at all to gain control in her life. Whatever respect Daphne had for her was gone with the wind.

"Daphne..."

"No! I won't hear another word from you mother. I thought you would disapprove what father did and how Astoria has turned out. Apparently, it is otherwise. Please leave mother."

Her mother gave her a sad look and a frown. In her heart, she knew that she herself has changed into a devil. But who could blame her? If she did not support her husband, The Lord of the house, then she would be thrown out, starved and die.

She only wanted the best for her daughters. Astoria had the full support of her father ever since she changed. But Daphne... Daphne was like how she was when young. She would follow her own values and beliefs regardless, even if it caused her death. In her heart, family and loved ones came first before power. Her father was everything but that.

Still, her mother hoped that one day Daphne would change her thinking because it might really end up in her dying or maybe thrown into fates worth than death. For now, she would observe what her husband planned for Daphne. As a mother, she would willingly sacrifice herself for Daphne.

Daphne was once again alone in her room, lightly sobbing at how her family had turned out. The positive emotions that came together with yesterday's dream was still providing her comfort, just like the sweetness on her lips from kissing that boy. As much as she would like to savour that taste forever, her hunger called with a growl from her stomach.

"Tippy!"

A house-elf appeared in her room. Tippy was Daphne's own personal house-elf. It was really fortunate that her parents gave her Tippy when she was really young. Her father was not cold-hearted then. Now, he regretted it because Tippy would follow orders from Daphne regardless of any instructions given by him.

"Yes mistress? How can Tippy help?"

Daphne gave her a light smile. She absolutely adore Tippy. When she was young, Tippy was the only proper conversation she could have. Her sister was just too happy-go-lucky to even talk properly too. Her parents? No statement needed. That was how Tippy became more well-versed in English than any other elves because of the many hours spent conversing in it.

"Tippy could you bring me some food please?"

Tippy bowed and disappeared. Within the next moment, she brought with her eggs, sausage and hash brown, typical breakfast in the household.

"Thank you. Have you eaten Tippy?"

"Yes mistress. Tippy ate just before mistress did!" She said in a bubbly voice. "If mistress needs more food, call Tippy. Tippy will be happy to serve mistress Daphne!"

Daphne gave another smile before dismissing Tippy.

It was time for research after breakfast. Daphne decided the library would be the place to go to in search of more information regarding more obscure Potions. She knew that there were indeed potions existing in the world that could create a change in a person's behaviour. One quintessential example would be the love potion, Amortentia. This potion could make the drinker of the potion fall heads over heels for that person. It was through this conjecture that Daphne believed her father could possibly be using a potion to induce hate in Astoria towards her.

But what potion or mind influence did father use on her mother? That was another conundrum in itself. Her mother did not hate her, nor did she act differently. If she was to reckon a guess, Daphne knew deep inside her heart that mother still love both she and her sister. But why would she side with her father, persuading her to follow his wishes instead? What made that change so significant over the years? Daphne regretted not letting her mother answer the question and instead, she just blew over the top from hearing how her father wanted the best for her.

Everything will come to her eventually. For now, she would just browse through the tomes in their family library.

Hours passed and it was already beyond noon. Daphne had stayed inside the library without even moving off her seat as she concentrated totally on finding what she needed. Hunger was but a physical attribute to her. Finding out why her sister and mother were acting as such topped her priority list. But try as she might, there was totally nothing at all that fit in all the circumstances her family had. It was really frustrating as she messed up her hair even further. She was turning crazy from the lack of answers she sought.

Just then, she heard someone walking behind her. Not even bothering to give an acknowledgement, she continued with her quest for an answer.

"It seems you've been working hard Daphne." A hoarse voice belonging to a male was heard. It was her father.

Daphne turned immediately and stood up. She did not want to alienate him because of a simple thing like lack of respect which he was particular to.

"Father" she said softly.

"I heard that you think I poisoned your mother and sister with potions, causing the change in their attitude towards you?" The ever-cold her father said out of his mouth gave a shudder through her body. She dared not reply because she knew there nothing would come out right from her mouth.

"I'm severely disappointed in you. But I applaud you for your determination in conceptualising why they are acting as such towards you. The answers you seek will never be found in those books. I will just tell you one thing. Astoria knows what it meant to be a Greengrass, just like your mother. Now all that's left is for you to understand how important power is to our family."

Daphne kept her head low. She did not want to show any emotions nor disrespect to him. It was very tough not to shout back but years of practice and 'encouragement' from her father made her think twice before doing it. She needed to clear her head once more and think through the whole situation again.

"Father, May I be dismissed back into my room then? I need time to clear my head." Daphne said in a low tone.

Her father gave a smirk. "No. There is no reason for you to go back to your room. I will give you as much time as you like to continue your search for understanding behind why your sister and mother were acting as such. But I assure you that you will never find an answer. You were living in a lie the past ten years. The truth is right in front of you. Astoria never really like you and your mother married me because of her thirst for power as well."

He left the room. Daphne let down her shoulder. Her father had a kind of foreboding presence that she hated to the core. It was like she, a prey was standing right in front of a predator, hoping he would not eat her up.

But what if her father's words were true? What if her past ten years were really a lie to her? What if her mother and sister acted that way just because they wanted her to fall into their trap and crush her feelings like how they did today?

It was a conspiracy only her father would have plan right from the start. She did not know what he was thinking then and neither did she know of what he is thinking now. The only thing she knew was her life is full of questions without answers.

* * *

It was Christmas. Wizards and witches all over the world are celebrating this day. The entire Hogwarts was decorated with lights all around, lighting up the whole gloomy atmosphere. The weather outside was cold, but as soon as the sun comes up, the entire place would be heated up to the right temperature.

Though inside Hogwarts within the room was Harry still snuggling in his bed. It had been a long time since he slept past dawn and more than the required four hours he needed, presumably because he was spent from the adventure he had yesterday and that he had reached back here at around three in the morning.

He felt oddly pleasant and happy when he woke up. It was more of a reason due to the finding of a treasure beneath the third floor trapdoor than Christmas. For as long as he could remember, he had never celebrated it before, just like he never celebrated his birthday ever. Hopefully this year, he would be getting something.

Sluggishly, he prepared himself for the day as he stood up from bed. To his surprise, he found a few presents placed at the foot of his bed! It appeared that this would be the very first few Christmas presents he had in his entire eleven years of life. He gave a smile but found it hard. His facial muscles were atrophied from the long years of not smiling. He decided to just forget about it just then and went on to unwrap his presents. Even if he might be more mature than most students, he was still eleven years old, and this was his first time unwrapping gifts given to him.

The first gift was from Tracey. She had given to him a book on basic healing charms which would aid him in the future should he be injured. It was really something he appreciated her for. He would try later in the week leading on to New Year the charms written down.

As for Daphne, she wanted him to have a book on potions. It was typical of her to send something like that. It was not surprising at all because he had sent her a book on Potions as well, given her passion and talent in it.

But then, there was a third present given to him. He knew only of the girls as his friends and who else would be possibly giving him something as well? He unwrapped it and to his surprise, he found a cloak. The material felt silky, much more than his robe. Harry could not guess at all what material this cloak was made of but it had an ancient and magical feel to it.

The letter accompanying it wished him a Merry Christmas and stated that this cloak was his heirloom. It was due time to be returned back to its owner. Wondering what exactly the mystery was behind it, he put it on.

His whole body disappeared from his sight. He reasoned this must be an invisibility cloak. He had read of it before somewhere about how these cloaks were very expensive and only have a shelf life of up to five to six years before the enchantment would wear out. But if it was an heirloom left behind by his ancestors, he could only guess how special and unique this cloak would be.

It would definitely be a very useful object in his opinion. Even if he could enter the dark dimension, with an invisibility cloak, it would allow him a greater versatility in hiding, or maybe he could use it in aid of his fellow friends.

Thinking of them, Harry knew it would be only a matter of time before they came back and ask him about what happened that day when they were having a snowball fight. It would really be tough trying to come out with an exquisite lie to cover himself if he did not want to lose his secret and deception. It would not do him good if they suddenly backstabbed him on the back if they ever knew of his secret. Another possibility if he told them of the manipulation he had on shadow was that they might meet a master Legilimens who could technically steal the information right out of their mind. This was so troublesome.

But thinking along the lines of Legilimency, he himself was not proficient at Occlumency at all. He could try finding out if the girls or more so, Daphne knew of it. Maybe he could extend the training partnership to her on the Mind Arts as well. If need be, he would try to bargain his way with galleons. Protecting his mind had become his priority now that he had more secrets to hide, including the blood-red stone he found out.

* * *

**A/N: So Christmas is over and Harry has the Philosopher's stone. But does he know of what is that blood-red stone yet and what it does? What about Daphne and her family? Is it true that her life had been a masterfully-weaved lie? If so, why did her father reveal it only now? More questions to be asked and answered. Stay tune!**

**As for Neville, I decided to make his character one of the more mature and confident type as compared to canon. Although if you remember I wrote about how he has low self-esteem due to the pressure placed on him by his grandmother, when his friends are being confronted, he will step up and defend them. It is this bravery that was hidden in him all alone and I decided to bring it out in the first year seeing that he has Ron and Hermione by his side supporting him. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Chapter 10

New Year passed eventfully for many wizards and witches in the world. As usual, they ended up celebrating until the wee hours. For the teenagers who were still schooling, they were more gloomy than usual since they would be returning to Hogwarts, away from their family once again. This coming semester would be a busy one for everyone. Examinations would be conducted soon in a few months' time.

There were a few however who would enjoy coming back to school. Hermione Granger was one of those few. Coming back to Hogwarts meant she would be able to learn more about magic. She would be able to prove to her parents, her friends and the rest of the Wizarding world that being muggle-born does not mean she would be less worthy in using magic than the rest. Hermione vowed to obtain perfect results and top her year just to show that blood does not matter.

As for Daphne, she was included in the same category as well. She had enough of home, seeing how her whole family was estranged from her. They treated her like she was a step-daughter, like she was not part of them. Daphne felt really dismal at that thought.

For the past two weeks, she could not find anything at all that would fit into her conjecture why her mother and sister changed so drastically into a different person. She dare not trust in her father's words that it was she who was different. She did not believe her past ten years were a lie to her. But the hope began slipping away as time and again, the evidences right in front showed otherwise.

That was why she was so glad to be returning to Hogwarts. She needed help and someone to confide her problems with. Tracey was her best friend but Daphne knew she could not really empathize with her. Only Harry could and she would be glad to finally see and talk to him.

Once everyone was settled back in the great hall, the feast for the start of a new semester began. Professor McGonagall made the same old speech about how they should keep to the curfew timings, no entry to the forbidden forest, no magic used in the corridors and that they should be on their best behaviour at all times.

After coming back to Hogwarts, Daphne and Tracey decided to sit with Harry regardless of what others might say or whether if Harry tried to push them off in search for solace. In Tracey's simple term, 'we are friends and friends should sit together'. That was enough to make him just accept that they would be close to him from now on.

Daphne in particular was sitting beside Harry. Throughout the meal, Harry noticed that she had inched herself closer and closer to him. He did not know what to make of it though and just ignored it. Truth to be told, he was getting bored of being alone in Hogwarts and definitely do appreciate the girls' company.

"By the way, thanks for both of your Christmas gifts. I really love them." Harry started the conversation rolling.

Tracey smiled. "Likewise. Harry. The book you gave was quite interesting actually."

"Thank you Harry as well for your wonderful gift. Wow Tracey, you read a book?" Daphne exclaimed.

Tracey gave her an open-mouthed reaction. "What... You think I never read? How else would I be able to keep up with the school work? I'm so insulted."

"Well... Seeing as to how you were opposed to Harry becoming a bookworm like me..."

"Hey! You are different! I mean I do read books occasionally but you read them as if they were oxygen. Without them, I doubt you'd be able to live, best friend."

Daphne scowled at her words. "I'm not THAT crazy about books. You will have to see what Granger does then. I bet if you are shocked at how many books I read, you would get a stroke from knowing how many more she read as compared to me. "

Tracey raised an eye brow. "How many?"

Daphne looked around to check if the said person was nearby. Seeing her chatting away happily at the Gryffindor table, Daphne continued, "Three times more than I do. She's the literal example and symbol of a bookworm."

Hearing that, Tracy literally had a stroke momentarily. Her whole body could not react for her brain was trying to comprehend the new information. "Seriously? That's... Crazy. Harry, how about you? How do you compare to Miss Ice Princess over here?"

The two girls turned towards him. He was too busy consuming his meal and pretended not to hear anything. Daphne knew what he was doing judging from his actions. She decided to become a daredevil today. She leaned forward into his ears and gave a soft blow.

Feeling that sensation, Harry turned rock-still. It felt oddly pleasurable. But knowing his act was out of the bag, he turned towards the girls and gave a shrug before resuming his meal.

"It seems Mister I-don't-want-to-make-friends is extremely anti-social today Tracey."

She gave a nod. "Well I say we take away his food so that he will think twice before going against us girls."

"Indeed. Or maybe tonight, we will sneak into his room and sleep on his bed together."

At that last statement, Harry reacted instantly. "You wouldn't dare!"

Daphne just gave a smirk. "Try me Mister Potter."

"Fine... Just don't come so near me when I'm sleeping."

Tracey looked amused at his answer. "And why is that Mister Potter? Don't guys love it when girls want to sleep with them?"

Daphne had a suspicion which she knew was what Harry would give to the answer of Tracey's question. She helped him answer it. "Must be because he still think we girls have cooties. He don't dare to sleep with us for fear of getting infected."

Tracey laughed at hearing that. Harry shook his head.

"That's not the reason why." He put up his hand to stop the girls from further questioning him. "I don't want to share. It's kind of personal."

"But... Aww come on Harry!" Tracey began bugging him.

Any humans have a level of irritation. Once someone bugged you for the same thing over and over again, he would snap back. Harry tried his best to contain his overpowering emotion. He did not want to shout at his new friends but neither did he like this new arrangement. Freedom and peace were still what he treasured most other than friendship.

"Sorry girls, I have a sudden urge to go to the toilet. Must be diarrhoea. Meet you all back at the common rooms alright?" With that, he pushed himself up and went off the great hall. A professor did stop him on his way out but let him go after hearing his reason.

"Damn! He bloody well know we can't follow him or it would create rumours. What a sneaky person." Tracey cursed, not knowing that he was feeling irritated from their constant questioning.

"Wow Trace. Thought you had a crush on him? Now you're saying bad things about him." Daphne was amused.

Tracey had a different answer this time. "You know after going back home to think through it, I don't find Harry really appealing after all. I mean he's a great guy and all but just not my type. I prefer someone who is like me, talkative, charming and loveable. But Harry? I mean he's a good friend but somehow, he's secret and mystery just bring down his appealing factor..."

"Well Tracey? Guess what? I'm so glad that you said that."

"Why Daphne? You still like him as more than a friend?"

Daphne gave a nod. "I think he's really a wonderful person beneath his exterior. Although I hope he could tell me some of his secrets. But I will just continue to try until the day he cave in."

"Wow Daph... You really do like him. Well, I don't think I have the patient like you do. After all, if he's like a book, I will just fall asleep after reading a few chapters of his mystery."

Both girls giggled. "Well... That's just you Trace. I really do hope to understand him fully one day..."

_'Just like how he understood me and my problems just from that single event. He even lend me a shoulder to cry on.'_ Daphne added internally.

Tracey smiled at her best friend. "I really wish you luck then."

Once dinner was finished, Daphne dismissed herself from her best friend, saying Harry wanted to see her. Tracey understood more or less what Harry was going to see Daphne for.

That afternoon during the past week before Christmas when Daphne visited her, she was distraught. After hearing from her how her whole family had turned against her, Tracey truly hoped Harry would be able to help her best friend just like before.

Daphne was puzzled as to why Harry wanted to see her on top of the astronomy tower, not that she was complaining. She wanted to hug him so much just to affirm his existence was present within Hogwarts and that she was not having a dream like that one when he kissed her. It brought back fluffy feelings within her every time she thought of it. Those sweet and soft lips... Thinking about it is every girls' dream of the perfect first kiss. Just that it was in fact a dream literally for her.

Before she knew it, her legs had brought her right to the top of the tower. She could see the perfectly clear night sky filled with countless stars. It felt peaceful. Looking around her, she did not see Harry. As a result, she decided to just lie on the ground and enjoy the night view as the cold air breeze blew. She could stay here all night long.

"Glad you make it Daphne." A voice was heard beside her. Turning sideways, she saw Harry standing beside where she lay. Immediately, she jumped into her feet and gave him a hug. She wanted to do this the moment she reached Hogwarts but time and space dictated otherwise. But now, in this peaceful environment free from prying eyes, it felt even better to hug him.

For a moment, they stayed in that position. Daphne felt acknowledgement from that simple physical gesture. Harry felt befriended and happy. That physical contact reinforced the relationship between the two friends and they were happy to be just here together.

Harry was the one to break from the contact. He looked into the deep blue eyes that held so many emotions and asked, "So do share with me Daphne, why are you feeling so down?"

Daphne gave an awkward laugh. "Am I that open to you?"

Harry gave a nod at her answer. "I could sense something distracting and hurting you. You had those circles under your eyes again like before."

Daphne gave a gasp. "Don't tell me..."

Harry knew what she was thinking. "Relax. It was only me who saw it. And I could see you inching closer to me during dinner as well and that was definitely something you wouldn't be doing unless extenuating circumstances stated otherwise. So let's just enjoy this peaceful night with a story."

He lay down on the floor and just gazed up into the starry skies. Daphne could see the peace in him. It gave her a sense of calm and serenity before she mimicked his actions.

"My sister and mother's estranged from me." She gave a simple statement. It did not require much elaboration for Harry. He knew how important family was to Daphne after the precious year ordeal of feeling unloved. This might escalate if he did not do anything. He kept silent though, waiting for her to tell him more about what she did.

"I have a suspicion about father poisoning those two. Somewhere out there is a potion which I believe can induce hate and distrust just like the opposite of Amortensia. But try as I might, I can't seem to find a single logical explanation." She told Harry sadly.

"My father told me how my whole life was a farce and mother and Astoria were actually all along like this. It's only my own blind-sided ignorance that could not see them that way. I'm really scared and... Harry, I need your help in this. I don't think I have the courage to face this alone..." A single tear rolled down her face.

"Trust me when I said you are not alone in this matter. I will try to see how I can help. But until I meet your sister, I can't judge her based on your words alone."

"I understand Harry." She turned her head sideways so she could look at him. "Thanks once again for being there for me... You have no idea how much I really appreciate this."

Harry gave a nod. "I'm sure you would do the same for me if I were in the same situation just like the troll incident."

Daphne smiled at hearing his words. She knew she could trust this guy in front. Ever since that day after she told him her secrets of her family and all, he still stood by her side. She felt shame and yet he did not pity nor laugh at her plight.

"Oh by the way Harry, do you think you could smile for me?" She asked sincerely. "I've never seen you smile before since I met you.

Harry felt embarrassed at that. He did not know how to give her an answer without linking it to his past. But seeing how much she trust her secret in him, he thought it would be alright for him to trust her with his as well. Trust is a mutual thing between the two parties after all.

Thus, he tried to contract those facial muscles to give Daphne a smile. But it came out something weird. Daphne though did not think that way.

"You see... I had not smile for so many years that the muscles had atrophied."

"Harry, I think your smile still look bright to me!" Daphne said sincerely. "I believe you will be able to smile normally one day. I want to be there when you do it, alright?"

Harry hesitated in his answer which was picked up by Daphne.

"If not for yourself, do it for me." She took his hands. "Just like how you helped me. Promise me?"

Harry felt moved by her words. "I promise."

Then Daphne eyes suddenly zoned into his lips. She was reminded of the dream.

"Anyway, do you believe in a person entering someone else's dream? Is it possible for magic to do this?"

Harry was puzzled as to why she was asking him this question. "Why Daphne?"

She blushed. "Nothing. In just feeling curious."

Harry knew she was lying but he did not question it. He had a suspicion of her dreaming about him. It felt so real that she thought he came over to her dream during the past two weeks. But thinking about it, he did not remember seeing her at all in his dreams.

"I think it could be possible. But if you had a dream about me, it should be just a dream still. Unless magic decided to interfere with it to create me."

"Oh... Alright." Daphne looked visibly saddened by his answer. But she did not mind. Maybe in the future, she could kiss him in reality and not a construct by her magic in her mind.

"By the way, why did you not go back home during the past two weeks? I remember seeing that twitch in your eyes when you gave us an answer."

Harry just stared at her. Inside his mind, he was thinking of different ways to escape the interrogation by Daphne.

Daphne thought decided to blackmail him. "Come on... I did share with you my secrets. Unless you plan on not trusting me and betraying me." She turned away, trying to hide her smirk. She knew he would not do this to her. Instead the wait turned from seconds into a minute. Daphne knew something was wrong. She hoped Harry did not just do the otherwise and turned around to see his reaction.

Harry was looking up at the starry skies forlornly. It was as if he is looking for his parents. Daphne knew just then how wrong the whole thing had turned out. In a bid of hasty curiosity, she went beyond the comfort zone of Harry and asked such an insensitive question. For that moment, she had totally forgotten his parents were no longer alive.

"Sorry Harry. I don't know what went wrong with me and I just blurted out the whole thing… Let's just forget about it alright?" She gave him a look of sincere apology. But he had not reacted at all to her words. For that short period, time seems to be at a stand-still as the entire scene was frozen.

Harry began pushing his body upwards into a sitting position. He hugged his legs and knew this was his moment of vulnerability – to reveal part of his past. Even though he did not like it, Harry trusted Daphne and wanted her to understand him. Within his heart, he was yearning for love, just like any normal human being.

"I did not remember much of my parents. I knew they really love me but that night when the whole house was in fire… That was the last time I remembered vaguely my time with them." Harry began telling in a low voice.

She understood his feelings because she was in his position a few weeks ago right in front of the Mirror of Erised. Just like he did for her, she sat up and moved herself so she could give him a hug. But really, given their stature, it was impossible for the girl to be embracing a boy while sitting down. She gave an awkward laugh at that failure in trying to provide comfort and a shoulder. Harry shook his head before just lying back on Daphne so that her arms could snake around his shoulder. Eventually, it ended up with Harry lying on her lap. He really do need that physical contact if he wanted to continue with his stories.

"I don't understand why I survived. It would be much better if I'd die in the fire because my life wouldn't turn out this way and I wouldn't be feeling so much pain and anguish."

For the first time, there was a very intense emotion in his voice. His hand clutched his chest subconsciously, showing the pain he felt was real. Daphne went on to grab his hands to show he is not alone in this.

"Then the torture came. I had no idea why I ended up staying in my relatives' house. But someone must have brought me there. Someone knew I survived the flame. They were hard-core anti-magic Muggles. For as long as I remembered, I was beaten and was forced to do the household work for them. I did something wrong and they beat me. I ask a question. They hit me. I was starved every single day."

A single tear rolled down his eye. Daphne really felt for him. She understood the pain to be in when your guardian or in her case, father, forced her to do something she did not want to and use punishments as an incentive. Harry was really a like-minded person to Daphne.

"I always wondered why I was sent to this particular family, I mean there's like a thousand many other possibilities but why did it have to be them? Then one day, I found out Aunt Petunia was actually the sister of my mother. She kept on yapping about how it was fortunate for them to die in a car crash. It was only recently I found out in the article that they actually died by Fiendfyre.

Daphne was really listening in earnest as Harry could see. She was different.

"I hope you understand now... I don't want to recall those memories again. Just like you... I..." Harry gulped. He did not know whether he should say this. On one hand, his starvation for love and a listening ear from someone like him was pressuring him to say it out and let out all his secrets. But the logical and survivalist part of his mind was saying not to trust anybody else. They might betray him again like before. It was a battle between emotions and the mind.

Eventually, feeling a teardrop dropping on him, he looked up and saw Daphne crying. That broke the impasse in him. "I almost suicide like you did Daphne." He closed his eyes trying to bite back and control the tears and pain brought back from all the memories. It was really hard. But feeling her tears on his face and hearing her sniffing sound, Harry began sobbing as well. The dam to his inner emotions had broken apart.

No words were needed between them. They knew and understood what each other was feeling because they went through the same experience. Both of them had an abusive childhood. Both had been so tired of living and wanted to escape the pain through death. But when it came to family, they were so different yet the same. Harry did not have any parental love before and was severely lacking in it. As for Daphne, she had a loving mother and sister yet they changed into sycophants for her power-hungry father.

But for now, their hearts were together in this as they let out years of emotional pain. They had finally found someone who understood each other. Harry was really thankful that he had confided in Daphne his past because if he had not, he would still be holding on to it.

After both of them calmed down, Harry decided to end this off by answering her original question, "That's when I left that place to live in Leaky Cauldron ever since I found out I was a wizard."

Daphne tried comforting him. "You know Harry, if I had a choice, I would have asked my father to let you live with me. But considering my family situation, I thought it would be better for you not."

Harry understood her. It would not only be bad for him but her as well because he got to see how her father treat her badly and Harry did not know how he would react from it. With an apparent dislike for abusive guardians, this might push him to his limits, so much so that he might violently react against her father.

Just then, Daphne decided to let out a little secret her father gave her to do. She hoped it would not anger Harry after hearing. "Harry, promise me this. I'm going to tell you a secret about something my father forced me to do. I hope you don't get angry with me after this, alright?"

He stared into her eyes, looking for any clues at all to see if she was doing this on purpose to visibly upset him. But he could see only sincerity in her words. He gave her the approval and promise.

"My father wanted me to get close to you so that he could rein you into his family. The House of Potter is a very rich and powerful family. Being an Ancient and Most Noble House, it is one rank higher in the social echelon than my house, giving it a lot of respect and political influence."

Harry began thinking of her words. That would mean that Daphne could possibly befriend him under her father's order and not because for friendship. This was really the turning point to see if she was trustworthy or not.

"And you?"

She stared directly into his eyes, hoping it would shed some light in this matter of her stand. "You know me Harry. I could never do this to you for my personal stakes. But I just want to warn you that should I become estranged from you, it's more or less to protect you. I don't want my father to hurt you... You are my friend, Harry… Now that I finally got to know you better, I want you to know that in my heart, you've become more important than him."

He saw it in her eyes. The truth was displayed right in the open. He knew then that he would really trust her from now on. This would be the first person ever since young that he would be open to and he hoped it would not bite him back in the future.

"Don't worry about that. As your friend, Daphne, I want you to continue our friendship. I honestly don't care about what he wants. Just... Don't tell him my secrets, will you promise me that?" Harry genuinely said it out of his heart. He was beginning to trust in another person.

She smiled. "Of course I promise. I won't betray your trust Harry."

He tried giving back a smile. It was not as good as hers but compared to his previous attempt, it was miles better. It seems that this friendship had much benefits for the both of them.

"You are getting better. I can see your happiness from that smile Harry."

"It's getting late. We should be going back to our dormitories. Curfew is going to start soon..."

Daphne pouted. "But I actually love it here." _'And I love it when you place your head on my lap, Harry.'_

He did not give her any rebut, knowing it was better to err on the safe side and not get into any trouble.

"Close your eyes now."

"But why? Are you giving me a surprise?" Daphne did follow with his instructions though. Just then, Harry sat up and brought Daphne to her feet before going to her back and covered her eyes as a double precaution. He then shadow walked the both of them right to the entrance of their common room before letting go of her.

To say Daphne was shocked was an understatement. Seconds ago, they were on the top of the Astronomy Tower on the seventh floor. Now, they were right in the dungeons in front of their common rooms. She gave Harry a look of wonder what exactly happened. She had her own thoughts on this since the sensation felt remarkably similar to that time when they became invisible from Malfoy. Instead of waiting for her to gather her thoughts, Harry opened the door to their common room pulled Daphne in and went on his way to retreat for the night, leaving her with puzzlement.

That night as Harry closed his eyes, he had a sense of peace. Never before in his entire life had he felt so comfortable, so safe and sound when he was in bed. Letting out the emotions he harboured for years was the right choice for him.

* * *

Ever since that first day back in Hogwarts for the second semester, both Tracey and Daphne kept bugging Harry on what exactly happened during the snowball fight last year. They asked if it was linked to the whole paralysing sensation they felt a few times before. But in a way, he kept avoiding the entire 'interrogation' session either by giving excuses or changing the topic.

Tracey felt that this whole affair was just something fun in her opinion. She was not really into finding out what Harry was hiding, just that she wanted a good laugh and amusement in seeing how Harry try to avoid them every time the topic came up.

As for Daphne, she was very much annoyed from it. She thought Harry and she was close enough ever since that night at the top of the Astronomy tower but apparently, he still had plenty of secrets kept away from her prying mind. Now she had proof it was Harry who was the reason behind all those weird events, she would be trying her best to find out the answer to that mystery. For a moment, the questions behind her family's actions were thrown to the back of her mind.

But other than that, the group of three began their training session with earnest. They really did have much fun in the sessions together, bantering while sharing on their knowledge in magic. For Tracey, she was more or less the tutor for practical magic. She was just good in spell work. Daphne was the one researching and sharing knowledge on spells that were useful to be learned during these sessions. If Tracey was the hands of the group, Daphne would be the mind behind it.

Combining those two together would be Harry. With his vast knowledge on the art of deception, he had much experience in improvisation and using spells in unorthodox ways. Within the training group, Harry would be the guy teaching the rest how to make full use of the spells they learned and to create new training ways just to push them to their limits.

For instance, over the last semester, Harry had suggested mock duels where one party would be out-numbered by the other. This way, it would help in ensuring they learn more about teamwork as well as the importance on not hesitating. This allowed them to hone their instincts and awareness as well since in a real battle, spells will come from all directions on you mercilessly.

All three of them vastly improved in the art of combat magic. To start this year, they began revising all the various spells learned last year – mainly full body-bind curse, incarcerating spell, flame-making spell and leg-locking jinx. For this year, they would be more focus on the defensive part of combat such as learning to use shields and to dodge.

Today, they began their session with the use of_ Protego_. Since Harry had learned it during Christmas, they skipped straight to testing out the strength.

"Alright. I'm suggesting we start this simple. As I'm the most experienced in using shields due to the background of my family, I will be starting with the shield myself. Harry and Daphne, if you don't mind in casting various spells on me?"

They both gave their approval to Tracey's plan. Stepping aside, Daphne started with a simple tickling charm just to ensure nothing went wrong with her shield.

"_Protego_!" Tracey shouted out, forming a light blue translucent shield over her. It absorbed the tickling charm without losing its strength.

Seeing that, Harry and Daphne began throwing weak spells at Tracey. For one, they could see which curse and hex could be absorbed by the shield. This would also allow Tracey to train in her magic endurance and concentration.

It was not long before the shield cracked. She had lasted about fifteen seconds from the bombardment by Harry and Daphne.

Daphne went next and within a short well, her shield went crumbling down as well. For her, she lasted five more seconds than Tracey. Apparently, Daphne was quite a powerful witch as could be seen from her magic endurance.

Now that it was Harry's turn, he put on a good show, but ending just ten seconds longer than Daphne. As a wizard, it was natural to have a larger magical core. But within him, he knew that more than half of his magic was restrained. Ever since the start of Hogwarts. His magic really grew in leaps and bounds. He was under puberty now, which allowed his body and magic to adjust to changes even more quickly, or so he thought.

"Wow, for the first time you are using this spell, you are doing great Harry!" Tracey commented.

"Nah! It was nothing." He replied back in a humble tone.

"Well guys, I think that's it for training today. I'm kind of exhausted." Daphne told the two.

"Same! It's time for a nice meal I guess. Training makes me hungry!" Tracey said cheerfully as she was thinking about what Hogwarts would be serving for lunch today.

"By the way, Daphne do you mind staying for a while? I have something to tell you. Tracey if you don't mind?" Harry asked.

Tracey was kind of used to this. Her best friend and Harry began spending more time together ever since the spells of depression last year. She did not mind because as long as her best friend was happy with being with Harry, she would let them be.

"Alright Daphne. I won't be waiting for ya! Food awaits my stomach!" She grinned.

"Okay! See you in the great hall." Daphne bade her farewell before she closed the door and look at Harry.

"So...?" she asked curiously.

"Let's see. Daphne do you know Occlumency and Legilimency?" Harry did not beat around the bush.

She gave him a look that more or less showed her curiousness in his question. "Why do you want to know about this?"

"Just a simple yes or no will do. If you don't want to answer, it's fine really..." Harry gave back a terse reply. He was prepared to leave should she tell him no. But Daphne was really puzzled as to what this whole questioning would lead to. She gave in to her curiosity.

"Yes I do know both. My father forced me to learn them."

Harry clapped his hand excitedly. "Great! Do you mind tutoring me in these arts as well? I need to really learn Occlumency but it's hard to find a trustworthy partner to do so..."

Daphne's eyes widened at his answer. She gave him a small smile at hearing him think that she was trustworthy. "But you could always write a contract and hire a tutor?"

"I could technically do that. But I would rather have someone who knows me teach me." Harry gave her his honest reason.

"But what if I saw some of your secrets? I mean would you mind? There must be some assurance for both parties. Occlumency is really an obscure and sensitive art."

He gave her a representation of what he looked like when smiling. "I guess my gut is saying to trust you. Will you break it and tell others my secrets?"

Daphne shook her head. "Just like how I entrusted mine to you, never in my entire life will I ever betray it."

"Then I have your word on it. That's all I need. Mutual trust is built upon both parties' willingness to do so. So I take it you agreed to be my tutor?"

She have him a nod. "But Harry, are you planning to include Tracey too? I... This is a very private thing to do and... You know..."

Harry knew what she was implying. "This will be between us. How about we do it every weekend evening?"

"Alright. That will do."

"Thank you very much Daphne. You don't know how much this means to me."

* * *

**A/N: Right. Before you all say anything, there is no romance between the two during the scenes enacted. It was more of a gesture as a friend by Daphne. Harry needed assurance through physical contact - basic human reaction. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

* * *

**A/N: Heh... Sorry for the late update. I was totally hooked up on Naruto/RosarioVampire crossover fiction.**

**EDIT 05/08/2014: Seeing as to how I wrote Daphne as someone who was slap-free, I decided to delete that part.**

**With that, she gave him a slap on the face before exiting the room. - ****With that, she exited the room.**

**The physical effects of the slap was inconsequential seeing he had developed a high pain tolerance from an abusive childhood. - Deleted**

**Once again, thanks everyone for reviewing! I especially love all your reviews SinOfDisaster. They are very informative.**

* * *

Chapter 11

Neville Longbottom, the boy-who-lived and the heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Longbottom had always been taught by his grandmother, the only other remaining Longbottom with a conscious mind, to stay close to Heir Potter. It had been a long standing culture for the house of Potter and Longbottom to help one another. They had been so close that for the past few centuries that even with the rise of multiple dark lords, the forging and betraying of ties between Magical Houses in Britain, these two houses still stay close to each other.

And yet, in the coming months ever since Heir Longbottom came to Hogwarts, his idea and thought of Heir Potter as friend and ally was slowly diminishing. When Neville first come to Hogwarts, his first thought was to find Harry Potter and befriend him so as to continue to tradition between their families. But before he could get there, he saw two other houses, Davis and Greengrass reaching him before he did.

Neville was still a boy with very low self-esteem then. Seeing him with other people, he dared not approach for fear of being mocked at or rejected at his hand in friendship. It was then Neville decided to delay his approach and wait until Harry was sorted into Gryffindor. In his mind, it was logical to say that all Potter will definitely be sorted in Gryffindor for that was his longstanding impression of them. How wrong was he in that.

When Harry was sorted to Slytherin, Neville knew more or less his mission of befriending him had failed. The two girls had got to him before he did, which Neville assumed was the reason for Harry's changed mind-set and got him sorted into Slytherin. The entire plan was totally busted.

It was Ron Weasley who was his very first friend here in Hogwarts. Ron, in his opinion, was quite an alright friend. But there were a lot of things Neville hated him for. For one, he did not care about studies and would pester Neville just so he was not alone in it. Whenever there were assignments to do, he would ask Neville for help and copy his work. He hated it. But Neville did not know how to tell him because Ron might hate him as a result. Neville did not want his first friend to be an enemy instead.

That was when Hermione Granger came into their group. She was a godsend, an angel who was sent down from heaven to save him from his accursed friend Ron. Now that the group had someone better academically than he is, Ron looked for her instead. That gave Neville a lot of time to do some self-study alone. He was the boy-who-lived and the boy-who-is-destined-for-great-thing according to Mister Ollivanders, the wand maker.

When he sent back letters regarding the lack of or rather negative progression in the task to befriend Harry, his grandmother was totally disappointed in him. But nowadays, Neville was a changed man.

It was the incident when he almost died because of the jinxed broom that have a marked effect in his life. Life was short and magic was dangerous. He heard from Professor Hooch the reason for the broom going out of control was because of his lack of confidence. Ever since then, he asked Hermione for help in it. She was really a good friend. That was the start of a totally different Neville, a confident one.

One time when Ron came asking for Neville to forget studying and play instead, he made his stand clear to him. Even until today, he was quite proud of himself that day for standing up for himself. In a way, he was like a parasite and Ron was the host. He was using him as a stepping stone to garner more confidence for himself. There could be no logical idea for why the Ancient and Most Noble House of Longbottom would ever ally with the Magical House of Weasley. There was nothing to be gained after all.

For now, he would continue to stay as Ron's friend. They were known as the golden trio and he would not do anything to destroy the current status quo. You would never know when there was a need for Ron to serve some purpose.

But then came the biggest complication in his whole plan. Harry Potter was totally an unknown. He had not come and look for him in a bid to become an ally to his house. There could be a two reasons for it.

One, he was not interested in continuing the close-knitted relationship between the two houses. This meant that Neville would have to find out whether he might be an enemy or not and if need be, he would have to nip it in the bud while it was still young. If he were to ever become a Lord, going against him would not be an easy task seeing that both houses were on equal standing in the social ladder of Magical Britain.

Two, he had totally no idea that their houses were allies. This was actually the more reasonable conjecture as to why Harry did not look for him. Since he was the only survivor in the attack by the death eaters on Halloween, he would have to be brought up somewhere else where the family did not know anything of the House of Potter. In this case, all Neville had to do was to find an opportunity where Harry was alone and just discuss the whole affair privately.

However, recently there was some extremely disturbing information his body reacted to when he saw Harry in class. He had a minor headache as he looked towards him during Charms and Transfiguration. It was very much similar to how he felt when he was in Defence against the Dark Arts with Professor Quirrel. But in this case, how were the two of them linked? There was a possibility that Harry might be turning dark. Until he found out the exact reason why his head began hurting, he would steer away from him. Neville would not take any risk when his own body was hurting.

Though something puzzling to this entire affair was that Ron had a minor headache as well when he looked towards Harry. According to him, Ron had concluded it with his ever-wise statement – 'Harry is dark and has found some way to prevent us from attacking him'. On this note, Neville could hardly blame him for his foolishness since he himself could not come up with something logical.

For now though, the golden trio found out that it was highly likely Professor Snape might be stealing the Philosopher's stone hidden under the Cerberus they found out by accident. This was something very important to him as well as his friends. If given the stone, Neville would definitely keep it for his own purpose. Imagine using it to turn anything into gold. He would be powerful and his grandmother would never doubt him again! Who really cared about the altruistic reason of ensuring the stone kept safe? Neville was just using it as a guise to steal the stone under the nose of everyone involved. They would be the first one to reach the hiding place and he would be the person finding and keeping it all for himself.

Neville Longbottom would show the world that he is the rightful Heir of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Longbottom, the boy-who-lived and the wizard who will change the entire magical history.

* * *

Today was Harry's first ever lesson on Occlumency and he was really anxious about it. For a few months now, he had been reading and doing the tasks set aside by the book on Occlumency.

The first step was meditation. He was way beyond that already. Meditation allows one to enter a state of calm so that he could categorise his memories, thoughts and separate them from emotions. Initially, it was really hard for Harry to successfully meditate. Thoughts and memories of his past resulting in violent emotions erupted from him every single time he tried. It was after quite some time before he could finally shelve all those depressing memories into his darkest vault in his mind. From then on, meditation became easier. It took a very long time before he finally achieve the end result of an organised mind.

Most Occlumens had their own unique ways of organising their mind. Those who really love reading would usually use a library to categorise their thoughts and memories because that was where they were the most calm. For Harry, he would use the realm of darkness as the foundation and fundamental place in his mindscape.

For him, he would not use the typical method of books, doors and crystals to hide his thoughts and memories. Harry would just use space in its raw form to assign his memories within it. Seeing that this was his mind, he could do anything he wanted. That was how he would rip apart the space dimension and hide his memories within it.

Now that he had finally finished with the first step, the next step would be to build up the defence system to his mind. Since his entire mind was shrouded in darkness, he ensured that only he himself could see since he was a manipulator of shadow. For the beginners in Legilimens, it would be a very tough job to crack through this first form of defence seeing that all they could see nothing nor feel anything at all. They were totally blind in his mind.

Technically, this would mean that he could delay all invaders of his mind long enough to kick him out of his mind. But that was just theoretical on his part. That was also the reason why he needed someone to test out his defence in order to find any fault in it.

As to the second form of defence, if the invaders were to ever find a way through the darkness, they might not know where his memories were kept since beneath that veneer of darkness was an empty mindscape. Unless he made a fault somewhere in hiding those memories, they would never ever find out that his memories were all hidden behind the space dimension, unless they tried ripping the entire dimension, which Harry doubt anyone would have the idea to do so. Wizards and witches had no idea of the space-time continuum and of the different dimensions taught in science after all.

And so came the first lesson as Harry met up with Daphne at the usual place - the classroom that was burned and marked by Harry.

"Hello Harry. Are you ready for your first lesson?" Daphne asked him.

"I am. Should there be anything I need to be ready for?"

"Well before I began anything, I need to know how far you are in it."

Harry gave her words a thought. "According to the book, I've reached the part on defending my mind with a mechanism of my own innovation. But seeing that I do not have any partners or tutors in this, I could not venture any further than just the raw form of my defence system. I've given it a lot of thoughts and tried improving on the whole thing myself but there's only that much I could do."

Daphne gave him a nod of acknowledgement. "It seems you have reached a bottle-neck then. Well Harry, I want to warn you this. Knowing the theoretical part of Occlumency is one thing. Fending off the invaders is another thing altogether. I was like you, and I thought my defence system was perfect until my father came and rip my entire mind apart until it was in shambles. But I won't be as merciless as him. I will start small. Legilimency is not something I am very good at as well so..."

Harry cut off her statement. "It's fine Daphne. We'll just..."

"_Legilimens_!" Before Harry could finish it, Daphne cast the first spell, officially beginning his first ever mind attack.

Harry was caught totally off guard from her attack. He could barely feel the presence of somebody within his mind. He had no idea what to expect for the first time and that resulted in a hefty failure on his part.

In his opinion, his defence system was too-notch, the very epitome of stealth and original subtleness. But that was all his own delusions. What he had kept and organized within the tears of the space dimensions and hidden by the darkness within his mindscape were left untouched by Daphne. Instead, his conscious mind was totally left unprotected. It was a total fiasco.

Memories of him in his past began flashing through his mind. Harry was still totally unsure of what he should do to force Daphne out of his mind. He tried willing her out of it but found that his memories were still flashing past, being watched by Daphne as well. Just then, the view Harry had during last year when he tried hiding Daphne and Tracey from Malfoy flashed right there before the entire spell was ended and his consciousness was back to real life.

It appeared that one of his biggest secrets were out if the facial expression in Daphne was of any inclination.

"Harry. Before we continue this further, I need you to tell me what exactly the last memory was about?" She gave him a look that spoke of an ultimatum must be reached.

"It was nothing really." He tried denying.

Daphne masked her entire exterior right then and became back to her old personal self – the ice princess.

"Harry Potter. I thought you were my friend. And from what I know, friends don't keep secrets. Initially, I thought you did not want to explain what happened last year because you did not want Tracey to know about it. But we are alone now. How could you? I thought after that night in astronomy tower, you will trust me but blatantly telling me off?" Daphne could go on and on about how angry she was towards Harry's action merely from that single statement he made. But more of it was because she knew he would not share it from his expression. This was one of the thing he regretted for signing up a friendship.

Well, two can definitely play the game. Harry steeled his emotions and began wearing back the mask he wore for years.

"Greengrass, tell me. What do you know about friendship?"

She was not deterred from his sudden change back into an emotionless monster. She was too upset about Harry and his so called friendship with her when he could not even tell her more about his secrets.

"Much more than you do Potter. Don't forget that I've had Tracey for years. You? I doubt you had or rather... Have any friends. Obviously, you are not in the position to ask me that question." She retorted.

"Then you should be visibly upset to know that I do know more about it than you presumably do. Friends do not force out secrets from each other. They will take great care, time and effort in earning his trust before letting him decide if he wanted to share it with you."

Daphne was seething internally. Though she was very good at masking her emotions, her subconscious body movements did not go unnoticed by Harry. Her hands clenched without her knowing, and her entire body began vibrating.

"So what you are saying now is that you do not trust me, am I right Potter? Well, then I say until the day you trust me, we will not be having anymore of such lessons. You need to undergo a huge makeover seriously."

With that, she exited the room.

Once he was alone, Harry suddenly felt strengthless and fell to the ground. He was really visibly upset from her words. It was not that he did not want to share it with her. Daphne was really a good friend that Harry would love to have but baby steps would have to be taken in order for him to trust someone once again. He thought that everything was going really well until that happened. This was his first time ever feeling so weak and helpless.

Internally, his heart and mind were battling out once again. They argued with each other about the friendship with Daphne. Mind was exuberant from her departure and fallout with Harry because it would mean that he would not feel the effects of being betrayed once again like in the past. But the primary reason for mind backing up on the decision of leaving her was that he could keep his secrets to himself and attain an advantage over every other assailants should the time come. Imagine if Daphne knew of his secrets and as a result, he found himself dead because of some reasons or another that would be totally disastrous.

But his heart was crying out, or more like bleeding from the stab placed directly by Daphne. It was more of the fact that he lost the chance to befriend a girl who could really be a partner, a listening ear and a shoulder to rely on. His heart was yearning for her attention and forgiveness already and was pushing him to just bury the hatchet and ask for her forgiveness by telling her what he was hiding.

In the end, the decision still lay with Harry. He thought emotions were for the weak judging by his past experiences in the Dursleys home. It was only recently that he found back his emotions and how it brought a marked change in his entire life. Just the next day after crying out and sharing his pained past with Daphne, he felt totally refreshed and really joyful. He enjoyed the times spent with her from then on.

But then, it was his emotions once again that befuddled him from making a decision. Knowing it was totally impossible to decide on his actions now, he went out of Hogwarts to get some fresh air and to meditate so as to gather this emotional hurricane within him.

* * *

Daphne was back to her ice princess persona. She raced through the corridors all the way back into her dormitories, pulling Tracey along from the library. Tracey was really puzzled why her best friend was acting like this.

"Daph? I thought you had some private lessons with Harry?"

Hearing his name, Daphne glared at her, warning Tracey not to say it again in her presence. Once they were alone with privacy in their shared room, Daphne threw away her mask and unveiled her anger.

"Oh the nerves of him! It's driving me totally crazy!" Daphne screamed out in frustration.

Tracey, being her usual self tweaked that statement and translated it into something dirty. "Ah! Didn't think you were the dirty type Daph. So what did you do to not illicit any response from him? Lap dance?" Tracey ginned.

But Daphne did not blush nor did she argue back about her insensitive comments. That was when Tracey knew she was really serious about the entire affair.

"What happened?"

Daphne was pulling out her hair in frustration. "I thought I gained his trust. We were practicing on something and just then, the topic regarding the snowball fight last year came up. You do remember that right?"

Tracey gave a nod before Daphne continued.

"So I asked him what it was all about. He didn't want to tell me. At first I assumed it was because he didn't really trust you so he would say when we were together."

Tracey gave her a mock glare before waving for Daphne to resume her explanations.

"But he went on an explanation about how friends would wait for trust to build up before sharing their little secrets. It felt like a stab to me. After all these whiles I've been trying to become his friend, he went on and tell me directly into my face that he don't trust me. ARGH!"

Tracey could see the frustration in her friend. But she understood more of what Harry might be feeling now. Still seeing Daphne was her best friend, Tracey needed to help her first. She went over to her bed and gave her a hug.

"Come on Daphne. You should know of how hard it is to earn Harry's trust."

"I know that Tracey. But can't he just let me in on a bit of that hiding thing of his? He used it on us not once but twice!" _'And thrice for me that night.'_

Tracey went in a deep contemplative post. It was rare to ever see her thinking.

"Daphne. I need to explain some things to you before you dig a grave for yourself."

Daphne was all ears for her best friend. Being really good at emotional control, she could will that anger out of her system just for that period of time. She could ensure it did not affect her judgment.

"You know in the past, this entire situation was reversed? What I meant was that I were you and you were Harry. When I first befriend you, there were a lot of secrets you did not ever share it with me. I became angry with you of course because I thought friends should share secrets with each other."

Daphne was listening with rapt attention. She could remember those times quite clearly. It was one of those rare few arguments she had with Tracey.

"But when I confided in my mom, she told me that given your background and how you were brought up, I should be giving you more time and trust before you could return that trust. She explained it clearly to me that instead of forcing you to tell me all your secrets so that we can be best friends, I should instead give you a wide berth so that you could come and tell me all those secrets instead. That was what friendship was all about. It's not about knowing secrets and each other's quirks. It's about mutual trust. As friends, we trust each other to not hide anything behind out backs. That's why I decided to apologize with you and earn it instead. That's how we got to be such good friends now."

As Daphne listened to her best friend, she became more and more disgraced at her own actions. Memories of her past came flashing through her mind.

"Oh no... What have I done...?" She became more and more shocked at herself once she realised the whole thing actually happened before in her life. History did repeat itself but she allowed it to happen. Her eyes moistened at that thought.

"Come now Daphne. Don't worry too much about this. Just wait for Harry to come back and then you two have a good talk over it. I'm sure he will be delighted to forgive and forget. Who knows maybe you get to become even closer friends after this? Look on the bright side!"

Tracey encouraged Daphne with her style of pep talk. Daphne felt moved from it.

"Thanks Tracey. You are really my best friend."

"Don't you ever question it Daphne."

They smiled at each other, really thankful for the friendship they shared.

"I think I'll wait for Harry in the common rooms. Sorry for pulling you from the library just now. "

"Don't worry Daphne. Anytime for you." With that, Tracey went off back to continue with her work, leaving Daphne alone in the common rooms. It was quite empty at this time of the day as students were either outside playing on a weekend or studying. Nobody loved being cooped up here the entire day. But that was a different case for Daphne. She had a mission to complete now.

Minutes turned into hours. Daphne sat beside the fireplace reading her book whilst waiting for Harry to come back. But she had waited for three hours now and there was no signs of him coming back. It was possible that Harry had instead stayed in the training room but that was just a hazard guess. She knew that he had to come back to the dormitories somehow or another, which led to her waiting right at this choke point.

Malfoy and his goons did walked past the common rooms. They gave her a brief look before deciding to just ignore her. It was a miracle in her opinion. Malfoy had just successfully ignored her very presence and fortunate for him indeed because today, the ice princess is reigning. A boy did come over to try and flirt with her. The end result? He was hexed so badly that the news of Daphne in a bad mood spread throughout the entire Slytherin house.

As she continued with her book, her stomach began growling. It was past seven and there was no signs of the guy called Harry potter. She was getting annoyed at him. The thoughts of just forgetting the apology did come across her several times. It was only her own willpower that prevented herself from giving up waiting. She was Daphne Greengrass and she would never bow down to failure when she set her sight on something.

Finally, she came. Not Harry but Tracey. She came with her hands full of delightful treat.

"What took you so long?" Daphne asked grumpily.

Tracey gave her a sheepish grin. "I couldn't stop myself from eating."

She placed down the box of food and seconds later, Daphne was stuffing her mouth with food – with manners mind you. As hungry as she was, Daphne would never ever eat like Ron. She was classy and she intended her reputation to stay that way

"No signs of Harry?"

"None. Do you think he might be in the training room?" Daphne asked.

Tracey shook her head. "I went there before dinner and it was empty. He did not come for dinner either..."

Now that was perturbing for Daphne. Ignoring her because of her insensitive comments was one thing. Skipping dinner because of it was something much more serious.

"Oh no... Did I scare him off Tracey...?" Daphne asked uncertainly. She thought this was not such a huge matter and yet Harry was reacting way beyond her expectations.

"Relax Daphne! I'm sure he will come around when he finish thinking through things. That was what I did as well. If you two are meant to be friends, then it will happen Daphne."

But Tracey's words did not really calm Daphne down. Time seems to accentuate her worry over the entire affair. Tracey waited with her in the common room, chatting to while away time. When they were out of topics, they started with their reading and revision. Soon, curfew came and they were still right there waiting for Harry.

"Tracey... Its curfew and he's still not back. Should I go out and find him?" Daphne asked with concern.

Tracey shrugged. "I've no idea. But I think you should go to bed and sleep. There's always another day."

Inwardly, Daphne was thinking about the many scenarios that might occur. Harry, just like her had almost took her own life. Was it possible for Harry to take his again because of what she said? She knew her words were really unfair to him. It was too invasive and as much as she wanted to know his secrets, she would rather want him in person. Screw the secrecy. As his first friend, she pushed him away and that was bound to hurt a lot. Now all Daphne could do is to wait.

Shaking her head, Daphne gave her answer to Tracey, "I will stay here and continue waiting. You should just sleep first alright? This thing is bugging me too much that I can't sleep leaving it unresolved."

"Well, it's your choice Daphne. Good luck though. Nights!"

"Thanks and good night to you too!"

With that, Daphne was left all alone in front of the fireplace waiting for her friend to come back. Little by little, she found herself dozing off. Her mind could only take so much stress before it needed to rest.

* * *

Harry's mind was in a mess. As he came to a secluded spot outside the castle, he began meditating. It was the one and only way he knew that would clear all the confusion he had with himself.

As he went into his mindscape, the entire place was in chaos. Spots of distortion littered throughout as bubbles of memories were played to him. This was the first time Harry experienced such disorder in his mind. No wonder he could not think clearly. Emotions that were locked up had razed his entire defence down.

Experiencing an actual attack certainly did help him in more ways than theory could. Harry decided to focus on calming himself down and rebuilding his mind before deciding on what to do with the Daphne quandary.

There were a few problems he needed to resolve in order to defend his mind much better. Firstly, he would have to add some kind of system to induce fear into the invader so that he would not stay and linger in finding a vulnerable spot in his mind. Secondly, Harry had to learn how to find out where exactly was the invader in order for him to expel him out. Then came the problem of flushing the invader out of his mind. Did willing him out work? He tried it with Daphne but could do scarce damage. He needed to ask her in order to improve on that point and that would hopefully be the case in future should she forgive him.

What happened the previous lesson was another vulnerability in itself. Harry was caught unprepared for a mind attack. He had not known that forcing a probe on the conscious memories could link them to the others. So unless he was vigilant all the time and kept his memories in check, he would have to find some way to protect the forefront of his mind.

If not, the consequences would be harsh just like what happened in the first lesson. Daphne found out something he had hoped to keep a secret.

Time passed quite fast as Harry sat reorganizing and rebuilding his mind into a more comprehensive defensive system. He did not notice the outer environment as he sat under the tree. The sun had set and the moon had risen, engulfing the world in moonlight. It was then Harry finally opened his eyes.

He was calm finally. The peaceful environment itself did wonders. Students rarely came this far from the castle, giving him total privacy and tranquillity. He basked in the darkness and occasional moonlight, loving the feel of the night breeze tickling his skin. The moon was full tonight and it was really beautiful. Harry could stare and get lost in it. But he knew that he had to make a decision as to what he should tell Daphne.

It was just a few minutes of internal debate before he arrived at the answer. The costs of ignoring his heart was too great for him to lose. But for now, Harry did not want to return back to the castle where he felt cooped up. Nature in all its glory was beautiful especially tonight.

It was around midnight before Harry decided to return back and catch his sleep. Seeing that four hours was all he needed to refresh his body and mind, there was no need to retreat for the night that early. Shadow walking through the opened windows, Harry arrived right outside the Slytherin common room. A password was said before the stone wall revealed the door which Harry entered.

He began walking in the dark before heaving in a huge breath. Shock and worry were all he felt before he ran forward towards the girl slumped on the sofa. Harry did not want her to get hurt even more because of him.

The moment his skin came into contact with hers, Harry jolted back with astonishment. It felt really cold. Somehow, the fire died out. As the Slytherin common room was right under the black lake, it would be really cold at night and Daphne here most likely fell asleep waiting for him. Harry decided to just forget about his sleep and stay with her to ensure nothing happened to his first friend.

He wanted to bring her back to her room but seeing that guys could not go pass the stairs and door, and that his shadow walk ability required an open pathway, he could do nothing but just to stay here with her.

As he was thinking over his options, he saw her shivering from the cold. It was then he decided to firstly make her warm so she would not fall sick before doing any other stuff.

Harry cast the _incendio_, relighting the fireplace before going back into his room to take the blanket from his bed to cover Daphne. Her body felt much warmer now as he placed his hands over her forehead. It was a relief indeed.

Seeing his job done, he began walking to a nearby couch. Watching over Daphne meant that he would not be sleeping tonight. He would repay the time lost in the morning when she woke up. But before he could move, he felt a hand grab his weakly. Harry saw Daphne murmuring something akin to "Don't leave me behind..." which he complied.

"Don't worry Daphne. You are in good hands." Harry smiled and placed his hands over hers to show what he meant with actions.

With that settled, it was now a waiting game for Daphne to wake. Harry went back into his mindscape to review through his defence. He needed to while away time as he waited.

A defence system should have a powerful threat to scare or attack the invader. Just taking away their vision was not enough. Using stealth was good but not totally impenetrable. He needed some creatures that could see in the dark, maybe some kind of wolves where their eyes would glow in it. That gave an intimidation factor as well as a ruddy good guard for his mind. Maybe he could try placing traps as well. Traps could both injure the invader and at the same time, alert him where their position was. It was really a good idea. But what trap should he use? That was something he needed to research on.

Harry felt movements on his body. He came out of his meditative state and found himself staring at a woken up Daphne looking groggily at him.

"Harry...?" she began tiredly. "Did I fall asleep? My head hurts." And to demonstrate her words, Daphne had a hand clutching her head while the other was still being held by Harry. It was then she realised she was holding on to his hand and he did not really notice it. But that realization was enough to jolt her entire brain awake.

"Wait what happened? Why are we holding hands?" she asked. Her face had the slightest tint of red.

"You didn't want me to leave Daphne and I needed to reassure you. But you're alright now so..." Harry let go of her hand. But before he could move his away, she went and grabbed it back.

"It's fine! I mean I don't mind you holding my hand and that... I... Wait what did I just say?" She began blushing even more now. Harry could see that but he did not know of its implication.

"Daphne? Why are your face red? Is it too warm for you?" He blurted out worriedly.

She gave him a smile. "There is nothing wrong. Just let me hold yours for a while alright?"

Harry gave her a nod. Daphne turned on the couch, changing her view back to the ceiling.

"You know, I was really scared that I pushed you away with what I said. I'm sorry for reacting as such just now... Yesterday. I... Harry would you forgive me for what I said to you?" Daphne turned to her side and looked into Harry's eyes. She wanted him to see the heartfelt guilt she had.

Harry gave her hand a squeeze. "It's alright Daphne. It was my fault as well. I didn't want to tell you my secrets because... Because it made me abnormal. Because I couldn't bring myself to jump across the gap between us. Because I couldn't trust you with my life."

Hearing it again felt agonizing for Daphne. It was one thing for her to place her trust on somebody but it was another to be given a heartfelt trust to. Daphne knew how much pain Tracey went through during the inception of their friendship. But it was through all these pain and trials that strengthened and moulded their relationship into something beautiful, just like polishing a diamond. This time it was her turn to be on the supporting end.

"But I want you to know, you are the most trusted person for me." Daphne looked into his emerald green eyes, moved by his desire, his truthfulness and his fear.

"But"–he shook his head–"I just can't tell you some of my secrets. It's just..." Harry let go of her hand at this point. He could not face her any longer. He felt that his actions were bordering on selfishness on his part. Daphne had been there sharing with him her life, her darkest treasures yet he was such a coward.

Daphne had been quiet the entire time, just looking at undergo different transitions of emotions. She could see how hard it was for him to really part with the hidden skill he had. But still, on her part, she felt that since it was already out, why not just share it with her? Besides she was his most trusted friend. If it was anybody else, she understood his reluctance to part with it but for her as well?

Time was the only way out of the secrecy that shrouded Harry. Daphne knew it first-hand and today was yet exemplary of that fact. But she would not be straining this relationship all because of that single piece of information.

"Harry. I understand. But will you promise to tell me about it someday?" she asked him earnestly.

Harry turned and gave her a smile. "I am grateful to you for understanding me and I promise. Thank you. You don't know how important both are to me."

Daphne tilted her head. "Both? What do you mean?"

"Our friendship and my secret."

Daphne gave him a relaxed smile. He, just like her, saw something important in this friendship.

"Alright then. I think I shall be... What time is it now?"

"Around four in the morning?"

"Oh... Then I shall be going back to bed to resume my beauty sleep. Thanks for the blanket Harry!" She gave him a smile of gratitude.

Harry nodded. "So I assume we will be resuming our lessons?"

She grinned at this. "Only you could be so crazy about that. You can assume that Harry."

"Rest well then. Hope you didn't catch a cold. It would make my effort go down into the drain if that was so."

"Don't you worry!" She gave him that last statement before going back to her room.

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**A/N: And there we go! Neville is not really who you think he is. Just like Harry, there is a veil of deception over him. But does Harry know? And if he found out about it what will he do?**

**B****oth Harry and Daphne got closer yet again. I am focusing more on development of the friendship between Harry and Daphne for now. Next chapter we will be seeing more of it once again. The first year for Harry will most likely end at around chapter 13. I am focusing more on first year because there is quite a lot of introductions and development between the character. But over the next few years, action would prevail when they go on out fighting the war.**

**Enjoy!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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Chapter 12

Ever since they cleared the misunderstanding, Harry and Daphne had been very much closer than ever. They had begun spending so much time together that Tracey who was so used to being with Daphne alone felt lonely as she did not really make friends other than the two of them.

Due to the nature of the Occlumency lessons, Harry and Daphne had to leave Tracey behind. But more often than not, after the lessons, the two had somehow conveniently forgotten about Tracey as she could not be seen in the library. It was during a particular lunch that Tracey came with Blaise Zabini from Merlin knows where together.

"Hey you two! I'm sure you know Blaise here." Tracey introduced him to both Harry and Daphne. They were currently at the great hall consuming their lunch. Both of them gave a nod of acknowledgement at the same time with the same expressions.

Seeing that, Blaise gave a grin to Tracey. "If I didn't know, I would have say both of them look like a couple Tracey."

That earned a bout of laughter from Tracey, a light blush toned down from Daphne and a look of puzzlement from Harry. Apparently, nobody had thought it important enough for Harry to learn of the social implications of what being couple and in a relationship meant. Daphne was all the more supporting his ignorance because she did not want to be make embarrassed until the point she understood her feelings were genuine for Harry, and for Harry to really trust her.

Blaise set next to Harry while Tracey did likewise to Daphne. This was the first afternoon they saw Tracey coming down with someone else. Daphne's guilt for leaving her friend alone turned into happiness from seeing her with Blaise. That meant she could spend more time with Harry.

"So Potter, how did both Tracey and Daphne here earn your trust? If I remembered clearly, you didn't give a second thought to anybody else including me when we first met during lesson."

Harry continued with his meal. He felt no obligation to answer him right away. Daphne looked at him and instead help him answer.

"Blaise, Harry here don't just go around making friends with everybody. It took us three months just for him to open up. Figure the rest out."

He gave a shrug. "Well, it doesn't really matter for now. Just thought I try to extend a hand of friendship."

Just then, Tracey asked, "Can Blaise join in our training sessions?"

That certainly attracted the attention of both Daphne and Harry. Daphne was fine with this arrangement because she had interacted more or less with Blaise before on occasions. She found him to be quite an alright person. But it was hard for Harry to accept him.

"Zabini, what can you contribute?" was the cold biting answer from Harry.

Blaise was not letting this down without a fight. That was what he wanted and what Tracey, his new good friend wanted as well.

"I'm quite good at potions and certain –" he looked around before closing in and whispered to the group "– rather obscure arts like the dark arts seeing my family background."

Daphne was delighted to find another person good in potions. With him in their group, they could certainly exchange notes on that. But Harry was still not convinced yet.

"How does your family background even link to your so called knowledge in that art?"

Blaise gave a grin. "My current step-father is a well-known practitioner of that art. And I believe that even if you are a Potter, being in Slytherin would mean you have no qualms in learning it. Unless I'm basing my assumption wrongly?"

That was enough for Harry. Learning the baby steps of Dark Arts from someone experienced would be good for him. And even if he did not want someone else to be in their training sessions, he was out-voted by the two girls. "You're in."

Tracey gave the group a smile, especially Harry as somehow, he was the unofficial leader of the training group being a 'guy'. "Thanks guys!"

Daphne just gave Tracey an eye-smile. Blaise felt happy as well since he could get to learn more about the enigma known as Harry Potter and at the same time, improve his knowledge in magic.

That was how Harry spent his second part of the first year. Lessons, training sessions about twice per week with the group, Occlumency with Daphne and his own self personal training every morning as well as during his free time.

The current Hogwarts syllabus was moving very slowly. They had only just started learning on _Protego_ for Defence against the Dark Arts.

Transfiguration was still as interesting for Harry since he could not give himself into learning extensively in that particular subject. Although conjuration seems pretty useful, and inanimate to animate transfiguration was a very good technique, those were only taught much later in the years. But as of now, the switching spell was really one of the more useful ones he learned in transfiguration.

As for Charms, they would be finishing the rest of the first year syllabus spells such as the severing charm which he had already learned, the mending charm as well as an animation charm.

Potions, Astronomy, Herbology and Histories of Magic though were not part of his interests seeing no combat value in them. He could always ask Daphne for help in Potions he needed since she was a prodigy in it.

With Blaise joining their training group, they decided on having some lessons on Dark arts first – Harry was the one suggesting that new-comers be giving up some knowledge before getting back. Those lessons were really quite useful to Harry. Although he knew three particular nasty spells, he could barely control them especially the black hole spell. It was too dangerous for him to use it without supervision.

Dark arts was really just a name for emotional-based spells with the intention of harming someone. A normal charm like the levitation spell could kill but it did not require the wants, needs and extreme emotions poured in by the user in order to cast it. They had not tried out any spells yet but would do so once they acquire a target. The classroom they were in had been totally blasted, along with the tables and chairs.

Tracey had also been teaching the group basic healing charms like _Episkey_ which could heal mild injuries like minor cuts, broken noses and split lips. It was better to start small since wounds might be opened if the spells were used incorrectly. Harry had major difficulties with this spell due to the nature of his wand, but eventually, with training, he found the correct amount of magic required for him to compensate the reduced effectiveness for healing.

Other than those two subjects that were shared among the group, Harry and Daphne were more or less helping to find new spells that were useful. Harry had shared the knowledge of blasting curse, _Confringo_ and the Reductor spell, _Reducto_ with the group. He was not surprised that they had precious knowledge seeing their family background. But it never hurt to improve on them.

This training group was created mainly for combat purposes and as such, they would be focusing totally on everything combat-related. The group continued on reducing the time spent in casting each spell, seeing that it could mean life or death. Other than that, they were also training on dodging spells starting with one on one and so on. They used the paint spell in order to not allow anyone to get harmed as a result of being hit.

As for Harry, he continued with his morning sessions alone. His physique had improved by leaps and bounds after at least half a year of consecutive training. The toned body he had would be the dreams of many guys and wants of many girls. But it did not come free.

Other than that, he was able to control up to thirty percent more of his magic after the suppressor was released. The past six months did help in allowing his magical core to expand with the suppressor on it. There might be harmful effects for all he knows. Muscles could not be placed under stress for so long without recovering for a longer period of time, yet this was magic and the knowledge he had in it was lacking.

His magical sensing ability was getting better and better. Using his SONAR or in his case, Magical Navigation and Ranging also known as MANAR, he could differentiate the minor differences between individuals now outside the castle. Although it was still quite hard to use it in Hogwarts due to the thick ambient magic within, he could more or less sense for himself if a non-human was in the vicinity. In a way, the ambient magic was like jamming his senses and he had to really push through his magic and increase the sensitivity between minute differences in the reflected magic in order to even use MANAR in Hogwarts.

Harry did spend much time as well in honing his shadow manipulation. Although he lacked the knowledge of any previous users in history, he made up by following his instincts. He remembered reading a manga on Naruto before. There was a clan in the manga which specialised in using shadow. Thus, he decided to use the manga as a reference point to further his skills.

To his amazement, he could really control shadow in the real world as well. But there were quite a few differences. When he connected his shadow with a living thing, it did not followed his every actions unlike in the manga. Instead, he could feel himself touching the organism. Somehow, the shadow acted like an extension of his limbs and senses.

Once, Harry tried extending his own shadow to a tree. He could feel the roughness of the bark and when he tried plucking off a piece from it, it worked. That effectively concluded the trials.

As for his skills in manipulating fire, Harry realised that his control in it was emotional-fickle. If he became really angry, the fire would grow with it and become super-heated. His fire affinity-based magic was definitely the cause of that occurrence. In a way, he finally found out that it order to really control fire, he must befriend it and treat it as if it's a part of him, just like shadow. Fire was not meant to be controlled. When he grabbed a handful of flame, his hand was coated with his own magic, preventing any burns.

Eventually, he learned how to cast _Incendio _without any wand. But it was not an easy task seeing that he had to concentrate for about a minute in order for a spark and flame to be created within his hand. In his case, he rubbed his magic together above his hand in order to create friction. Once the magic was superheated, he could will it into a ball of flame. Until he could learn how to really cast it within a second, he would not be using wandless fire in a combat.

The Occlumency lessons with Daphne were going quite smoothly ever since their patching up. Daphne did not ask Harry more questions by giving him a larger breathing space, hoping that he could tell her willingly soon enough. Harry was grateful for what she was doing. Nowadays, his defence system had finally proven to be quite sturdy when Daphne could not really see his memories anymore.

With training, he was getting better at sensing the subtle attacks by any Legilimens. That was coupled with a huge jump in kicking out the invaders from the mind. He was so good at that that he could even reverse the connection through the probe, letting him taste Legilimency for the first time. Daphne was shocked but happy for Harry had finally reached the point she could not teach him any further.

"Thank you for tutoring me in this subject. If you need any help, just ask and I will help." Harry gave her a light smile. He had begun opening up to this girl. It was really a hard thing for him to do, but his heart was telling him to not regret and just take the chance. That last argument they had the precious time really opened up their eyes about what friendship was.

Daphne returned with her smile. "It's fine Harry. I'll gladly do anything for you."

The two of them were walking back to their dormitories after the last lesson they agreed to have. From now on, Harry would have to find someone else who is a master Legilimens in order to further his Occlumency. After all, this art is one of the obscure few that could only be really taught through persons and not individually.

As they entered the common rooms, they were in for a noisy spectacle – Malfoy was making out with Parkinson right on the couch. The sound they made was gross to both Harry and Daphne, so much so that he could not help but use some wandless magic to push Parkinson, who was on Malfoy's lap down from the couch they were sitting. In the process, Malfoy was pulled down as well. That fall effectively ended their shameless act, but peace would not last for long when Malfoy was around.

He immediately stood up, wanting to find the perpetrator but once his eyes landed on Daphne and Harry, his attention was transfixed to them.

"Oh... Greengrass and Potter, the two newest couple in Hogwarts after seeing both of you stuck around each other wherever you go. So Potter, are you jealous that I have a girl to snog while you don't?" He smirked at the two of them. But there was a lack of reaction from the two.

"Malfoy? I think it looks more like two rabid dogs who can't control themselves that they have to do it here. Did father ever taught you what basic courtesy is? Nah I believe not." Harry rebutted swiftly.

There were giggled around the room. Daphne tried hard to control her expression and the only movement from her was the light cough.

"Potter." he growled. "Don't use that as an excuse. If you are jealous of me, just say it. Come and kneel in front of me and beg for my forgiveness and who knows, I might give you Parkinson over here for you to enjoy."

Said girl had a flinch. Daphne pitied her. After Parkinson threw herself into the arms of Malfoy, he treated her like a dispensable tool. He was the typical pure blood male who thinks female were slaves for them. What a truly despicable society this was.

"You're pathetic. Don't use the girl as if she was yours."

Malfoy smirked back. "Parkinson, tell Potter what are you to me."

She had a momentarily look of sadness before it was covered up with a sultry act, snaking her arms around Malfoy's waist from the back. "I'm yours Draco to do whatever you like."

Harry shook his head. His attention was more on Parkinson for really willing to do anything in order to become Malfoy's.

Just then, Daphne decided to just end the conversation. She could not stand the whole thing any longer. It reminded too much of her own plight with her father. "Harry, I will meet you here in about fifteen minutes for dinner?"

Harry gave her a nod before he decided to walk off as well. But before they could leave for their dormitories, Malfoy made a really insensitive remark that made Daphne totally stunned. A few moments later, she ran out of the common room, some tears in her eyes.

"Heh, look at that! I made Greengrass cry! Priceless!" Malfoy arrogantly boasted to those Slytherins who were in the room. It was without a doubt that the rumours would spread.

But what happened next really scared everyone, especially the so called leader for Slytherin. The entire room became heated up. Every single Slytherins started sweating within seconds from the sudden change in temperature. Flame within the torches in the vicinity increased in strength by more than twice it's usual. It was really a scary sight for this was the first time they saw the flame acting on its own.

Malfoy felt something choking him. His hands went to his own throat, trying to get rid of the feeling, although to no avail. Parkinson was beside him, confused as to why Malfoy was strangling himself.

Just then, the portrait to the common room opened. Although the students themselves were still wondering what was wrong with the sudden heat, their attention turned towards the opening of their door, trying to find a reasonable explanation as to who was the one responsible for this. Yet, they saw nobody exiting or entering the room.

Seconds later, everything turned back to normal. The door was still left opened. Those present were left in wonder.

Harry was in rage for what Malfoy said to Daphne. He knew of her whole consternation with her family. But what left his mouth today seriously hurt her and Harry knew something must be done.

This he opened up the door to the common room before enveloping himself in darkness. It was fortunate nobody saw him doing that. After which, Harry followed her all the way into the owlery. Daphne wrote a very brief letter, wanting to find out exactly if what Malfoy said was true or not and sent with Hedwig. Now all she could do was wait for a reply.

When Daphne turned, she saw Harry standing by the door of the owlery. His very presence gave comfort to her as she ran to hug him. Harry placed his arms in return over her shoulders before shadow walking them outside the castle to the place he always go to for meditation.

"It's alright Daphne." Harry consoled her whole rubbing her back. "Don't be so anguished. We won't know the truth until your sister replies."

"But what if she really did ask father for a marriage contract with Malfoy? Even if she hates me, I can't help but feel that if they marry, she will get hurt. I can't bear the thought of it... She's my sister regardless."

"Daphne. Don't think so much alright? We'll get through this together. If your sister really did it out of her own will, we shouldn't interfere with it. But if it was your father who force her into the marriage, then something must be done."

Hearing the logic in his words, Daphne could only resign to waiting for an answer should it ever come. They were sitting down by the lake under the tree. It felt really comfortable and peaceful.

"So, why did you bring me here?"

"This is the place I come to meditate. It's –" Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath "– peaceful and refreshing."

Daphne could understand that. She felt much better after coming here. The greenery was lush and beautiful, and the best part was they were the only ones here. She was curious though how he knew of this place.

"Say, how did you find out this place, Harry?"

Harry gave a chortle, which Daphne could not help but smile at. Those were the few rare genuine laughs she had ever heard from Harry. It made her warm inside her heart and felt really magical to her.

It was then she saw a hand waving in front of her eyes. She blinked before giving him the look that asked 'what are you doing?'

"You were staring at me Daphne. Did you even hear my answer?"

Hearing that, Daphne blushed. "Umm..." She was out of words.

Harry gave her a weird look. "You know, the way you were staring at me gave me some kind of creepy feelings. But that should mean you are alright now. Let's go back and have dinner alright?"

She responded with yet another blush. _'How embarrassing that was!'_

"No! I mean am I really that creepy looking to you?" She pouted.

Harry asked back her question. "Are you? What were you thinking then?"

Daphne looked away before whispering to herself, "Your laughter sounded really magical..."

On this evening, fate was playful though and let Harry heard her words.

"Really? Well... I think your smile is beautiful too Daphne. So you should smile more often!"

Daphne eyes widened at the implication of his words. "Do you think I'm beautiful?" she blurted out without thinking before quickly covering her mouth. But the 'damage' was already done.

"Yup! Now come on. If you aren't going for dinner, I'm leaving off myself." Harry stood up and walked off slowly, letting Daphne catch up with him.

Her mind was totally jumbled up from hearing his words. Her heart began pumping really fast. Somehow, those words made her euphoric. Currently though, she did not have the pleasure of time to think through her life as Harry was already heading back to Hogwarts. Realizing that, she stood up and chased after him.

"Wait up!"

"Come and catch me if you can!"

"No! Slow down Harry! If not... If not...!"

"If not what Daphne?" Harry stopped and turned to look at her running towards him. As Daphne finally caught up, she gave him a grin.

"The last one there is a loser!" With that, she continued on her merry way back to Hogwarts, laughing all the way.

"That is... Cheating!" Harry sprinted in order to chase after her.

With his long stride and daily training, Harry caught up with her within moments.

"So, cheater, how are you feeling?" Harry gave her a grin as he jogged beside her.

Daphne was panting and breathing really hard now from all the running. "How... Are... You... Not... Tired?" Just then, she stopped, unable to continue any further.

"Aww... Don't be a slowpoke Daphne! What did you say just now? Last one is a loser?" He laughed again.

Daphne could not help but laugh with him as well. She suddenly felt like she was a child again but this time she was with a friend. It had been quite a while since she had such a carefree feeling. Befriending Harry was really a right choice made. But for now, it was time for using her charm as a girl on him. She fell on the floor, totally exhausted.

"I'm... Dead... Tired..." She puffed out before closing her eyes to feign that she had fainted.

Harry felt something was amiss from the way she was lying on the ground. He had not meant to tire her up so seriously. It would be his fault should sometimes happen to her. He immediately ran up, shaking her shoulders.

"Daphne? Daphne! Please tell me you are alright... Come in... I'm so sorry... I won't do it again." Harry said anxiously.

Just then, there was a smile on Daphne. Harry did not know what she did but moments later, she was on his back as he was still kneeling on the ground.

"Come on Harry! Up and away!"

Harry was still caught in the previous moment. "You are so mean Daphne... I thought something bad happened to you." He placed his hands on her thighs before standing up and walking back to the castle.

Daphne felt a bit bad for playing this prank on him. But now, she knew how much she meant to him. It felt really good to know someone out there in the world cared for your well-being.

"I'm sorry Harry. But it have been years since I last had so much fun!"

Her cheerful words did allow Harry to recover from the shock. "Well, glad to know that."

"And, this is the first time I see you smile and laugh and have fun with me!"

Hearing those words, Harry's mind turned southwards towards his non-existent childhood. This was really the first time in his entire life having fun. He did not know but Daphne had really broken through the cold exterior he placed.

"It is my first time Daphne..."

Daphne frowned from his words. "Oh..." Then she brightened up within the next moment. "But it won't be your last time! We can have much more fun together like today! And maybe someday..."

_'We could go out on a date, just two of us, hand in hand.'_ She smiled at that thought.

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**A/N: And so, Blaise joined the group in their training sessions. Tracey has a new close friend now that Daphne is spending more time with Harry. This chapter quite illustrates the turning point of Harry's personality into someone who is more carefree now that he finally found a like-minded soul in Daphne. **

**As always, if you find anything you do not like, give me a review and I will see to it. **


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

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Chapter 13

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" A bolt of spell flew out from his wand towards his opponent.

Just seconds before it reached his body, the opponent side stepped to the left, allowing the bolt of spell to continue its motion freely and eventually landing onto a wall.

"You can do better than that, Potter!" His opponent mocked but Harry did not fall for the taunt. He had much practice in emotional control.

Without a moment of hesitation, Harry decided to use this chance when his opponent was too busy taunting him to counter back. He shot a curse to his opponent who yet again, side-stepped to the left.

There was easily a pattern seen in his movement. He was prone to moving to his left when forced to make a decision within seconds. Harry gave a smirk, causing his opponent to wonder what he was thinking. Just then another curse flew towards his direction, and it kept flying off without any break.

Slowly, his opponent was cornering himself to the edge of the room. Apparently, he had no idea of the environment he was in. But Harry had an idea he was doing that just to lull him into a false sense of security. So at the last minute when he saw his opponent's legs tend towards the other direction, he shot a spell to the right, immediately incapacitating him.

"The end Zabini. A minute and a half. Not bad." Harry walked towards him and cast _Finite Incantatem _to release him from the curse.

"Argh... Nothing ever escapes you it seems potter. You're good, really good in anticipating." Blaise groaned as he picked himself up.

Just then, the girls came over. They were watching over the two of them practicing dodging in basic duels.

"Harry, how did you know he will be moving to the right instead?" Daphne asked curiously.

"Observation. Plainly observation."

There was an eye-roll by Tracey. "You say that for everything. Can't you give us more hints and guidance?"

"Yeah. Have to agree with Tracey over here. It seems you know every movement I made. Potter."

"Your movement is too obvious Zabini. You should try obscuring it a little at least like Daphne here." Said girl gave a clueless look seeing she had no idea what she did to merit that praise. "Oh Merlin... "

Daphne gave a swat to his head. "Don't be so mean! I just don't see how I am obscuring my movement when I'm just dodging the spell obviously..."

"Well... I will just say this once." The three of them perked up. "Move in random orders. Unlike Zabini here who continue to his left all the way because he preferred it that way, you all should not let the enemy know where you might be dodging or he could just think two steps ahead and end your life."

Blaise was not convinced in his explanation. "But I was moving to the left to lull you into a false thinking!"

"That's what I meant. If I shot a spell to your left instead, you will fall immediately. You are too much into continuing with what you planned. Also, from an observer point of view, I can see that you are very much prone to stepping out with your left leg first when forced to dodge. You used your weakness to craft a trap, which will certainly end disastrously."

"Oh..." Blaise took in his words as he clearly understood what Harry meant by that.

"What about me Harry?" Daphne asked.

"You? You're good at this. Most likely you have much training in dodging before. If not your instincts wouldn't be as honed as you are currently."

Daphne gave a smile. Tracey not wanting to be left out asked Harry for his opinion too.

"You are too slow. It's time for you to improve on your speed. Spells don't wait for you to move your limbs."

Daphne hearing his words decided to put in a light jab. "And stop eating so much Tracey, you glutton!"

She blushed. "Hey! Besides now that you said it, I'm kind of hungry."

Blaise shook his head laughing. "It's always the hunger Tracey."

"Prat! Let's go for lunch! And you mister is going to be escorting me!"

"Well then, after you mi lady." Blaise opened the door and gave a bow for Tracey to exit.

"Now that's a true gentleman I see. You two coming with us?"

Harry shook his head. "I have something to do."

Daphne gave him a look.

"You can follow me if you want Daphne."

She smiled. "You have your answer Trace."

"Alright. See you two later then."

Harry and Daphne walked to the library. She was curious as this was the first time he asked her if she wanted to follow him. That certainly meant he trusted her more than before, making her feel happy at the progression of friendship between them.

"So...?"

"Well... I kind of want to follow the golden trio and see what they are doing. It's got to do with the Cerberus I reckon."

"Cerberus? And why would you be so interested in it all of a sudden?"

"Well, I will explain to you later. Come, let's hide under this."

Harry took out an invisibility cloak from his pocket.

"Is that...?" Daphne asked in awe of the cloak.

"Yes. So come on in." He gestured to her to come close to him so they could be hiding under the cloak.

"Wow... This is amazing." She muttered, feeling the fabric and silky texture of the cloak. It was apparently her first time seeing it. "Where so you get it?"

"A Christmas present. No idea who sent me. Apparently, it was an heirloom."

"Wait wha...!" She could not keep her volume down but fortunately, Harry had a hand over her mouth soon enough to avoid undue attention from the students in the corridor.

"Sorry..." Daphne whispered.

"We will talk later."

In the library, they saw Hermione packing her bags and planning to go somewhere. It was just the right moment for Harry and Daphne since eventually, they saw her meeting up with Neville and Ron before going out to Hagrid's hut. They stood by the window in their invisibility cloak and listened to what they were talking about.

They could not hear clearly what they were saying. Harry could pick up words like Cerberus, Snape, Flamel and Dumbledore. Obviously, he was very confused with what they were saying. When the golden trio finished with their chat and went back to the castle, Harry grabbed hold of Daphne and shadow walked to his usual private place just on the edge of the forbidden forest beside the black lake.

"So what did you hear?"

"Well... From what they were saying, it's obvious the whole thing is under a lot of secrecy. I have no idea what they have found out so far other than the Cerberus which we already know."

"But you heard Snape as well right? So I reckon they think Snape is involved with something. And as the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor is so rife, it's obvious they think Snape is going to be stealing something from beneath the trapdoor."

Daphne raised an eyebrow. "How do you know something is hidden?"

"Without a doubt since they place so much protections. Why else do you think they brought a Cerberus of all things into the school? And what with Dumbledore revealing his place in the third floor corridor? He is placing a trap for a professor to fall in it. But who is that professor? And what is the treasure? Those are the two main questions." Harry laid out his deductions for Daphne.

Daphne was aghast at hearing his words. "Wow... You can deduct so much just from that little...?"

Harry gave a sheepish look. "Actually I had been thinking for many months already."

"What! And you never tell me about it?"

"Aww come on Daphne. We started to get close only recently."

Daphne lowered her head. "You're right... But since you know so much already, why not just conclude the whole secrecy act yourself? I mean you're so..."

Harry cut her off. "I need your help Daphne. You are a very bright witch and seeing that I had been living with Muggle before I even came to this world, I lack much knowledge."

Daphne looked into his eyes, seeing the minute desperation he had. Whatever this whole act was, she knew Harry was involved somehow. But he trusted her and he needed her. That was enough for Daphne to help.

"Say it."

"What do you know of Flamel and Dumbledore?"

"Hmm..." Daphne went into her thinking mode. "From what I have read so far in the books, all I know is that they had a master and apprentice relation. Apparently, Dumbledore was taught by someone called Nicholas Flamel in Alchemy."

"Okay. Good so far. Anything about what they produced together?"

"The most known achievement for alchemy would be... Would be the..." Daphne's eyes went really wide before she could complete her sentence. Harry was annoyed at the cliff-hanger.

"Come on Daphne, don't be so evil and leave it hanging! Come on tell me!" Harry crossed his arms.

Daphne gave a smirk. "Uh-uh." She twitched her index finger in a way to tell him she was not planning to tell him without a trade-off. "Not until you answer three questions for me."

Harry groaned. He knew it would come to this somehow. She really wanted to know about his secrets and all. But now that he asked himself if he was ready to part with it, his mind was giving a different answer from before. She had become much closer to him than he even knew about it.

He closed his eyes and sat himself down on the ground before crossing his legs into a meditative position. Daphne was curious as to what he was doing.

"Harry?" She walked towards him and squatted so that she was at eye level with Harry.

"Make yourself comfortable." He said.

Once Daphne settled herself down comfortably, she waited for what he was planning to do. Just then, he opened his eyes after calming himself down and finish with the internal argument. Daphne was more or less ready to know more about him after how much she helped him. It would be unfair of him to deny her.

"Ask away." His green emerald eyes seemed to pierce through her very soul. He looked directly into her cobalt blue eyes. Beautiful as it might be, there was a slight hesitation and dread in her eyes.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. It was time for some answer and question session.

"Did you save Longbottom from his fall?"

"Yes I did." Her eyes went wide at the implication.

"How?"

"Magical fundamental. I use my magic to push against gravity so he would slow down."

"Oh... So was it somewhat similar to how you cast the bludgeoning spell that time against the troll?"

"Yes. I mimicked how you push out the magic as a force instead. That was what I knew how to do so the spell came easy to me."

And now came the biggest question of all time. She saved it for the last apparently since it was the best.

"How did you hide us from Malfoy?"

Harry gave a smirk. "I answered your three questions. Now it's your turn to answer mine."

Daphne frowned. She thought back over what she said previously. It took a while before she finally understood.

"What! But... but that's... Unfair!"

Harry shook his head. "Don't be a liar too little cheater." He smirked, which she answered with a pout.

"Come on Harry. I might give you a hug if you answer that." She gave a puppy look. Apparently, even if she was the ice princess and all emotionless, when she was with Harry, she could do things that were totally out of character for her.

But Harry was not one to fall for it. His hormones would be dormant for a while before he would go crazy about her.

"Hmm... I can hug you anytime so no deal!"

"Alright alright... Didn't know you are such a brat Harry. Their most known achievement is something known as the philosopher's stone. Apparently, it could turn any metal into gold. It could also be used to create the elixir of life which grants the drinker immortality. But I highly doubt the headmaster would be that stupid to place such a treasured possession in this school and tell everyone about it. Everything seems fishy..."

Harry was in total shock from hearing what she said. The blood-red stone he found and kept in his trunk was a philosopher's stone with all those effects? He had just struck lottery. He was thinking through the many different uses he could do with that stone, completely ignoring Daphne.

"Hello? Earth to Harry." Daphne waved her hand in front of him but he was not reacting.

Just then, Daphne had an idea. It was time to play a prank on him. She took the invisibility cloak still on the floor and hide behind it. Just then, she shot a stinging hex on his back, causing his to jolt awake from his thoughts.

Harry looked around a few times, calling out Daphne to ask her to come out. But she was too busy giggling at how stupid he looked. Just then, the cloak was lifted up, revealing Daphne.

"Wait... How did you know I'm here?" She asked.

"You were giggling so loudly." He deadpanned.

She blushed. "But that was so funny! It's like you were talking to yourself Harry." Her giggles continued.

Harry scrunched his nose at her. He did not understand what she was thinking sometimes. Just then he ran towards her, shadow walking them back to the castle without any warning. She was totally shocked at seeing the inverse world before her entire vision changed back to the interior of Hogwarts. The suddenness gave her a dizzy spell, causing her to almost fall down but Harry was there holding her by the waist.

"That is what we call revenge is the best dish served cold."

They stayed in that position for a while more, causing students walking past to giggle. They were girls mind you. Hearing boys giggle would give anyone the goose bumps.

Soon enough when Daphne finally caught back her consciousness, she hit Harry on his chest for the evil act.

"Give me some warning next time would you?"

He smirked. "Where would be the fun in it?"

She shook her head at his childishness, not that she excluded herself from it as well. "So are you planning to go after the stone?"

Harry shook his head. "It's not my problem Daphne."

"But what if the golden trio took it? Or worst case scenario, the professor found it? What would they do? It could create a lot of problems to the world! That includes us. Imagine if the economy fall because of the excess gold..."

Harry placed his hands on her shoulder and looked at her. He needed to calm her down without revealing that the stone was safe. "Trust me Daphne. Don't worry so much about it. I believe Dumbledore would not be so stupid as to leave it totally free for take. He's over a hundred years old and is one of the most powerful wizard alive now. So just keep what we found out to ourselves alright?"

She did not look convinced but there was naught she could do for now. "Alright..."

"Promise me?"

She blinked once, twice before deciding to let it go. "Yes I promise Harry."

He smiled. "Alright." And he gave her a hug. Without hesitation she returned it. She loved it as that hug made her feel loved and somehow, gave her a sense of protection.

Harry broke the hug moments later which Daphne wanted to curse for she still really wanted to be in his arms.

Harry gave her a grin. "Well, you can stop rewarding me with hugs from now on. You enjoyed it so much that you will give it to me regardless." He then walked off to the great hall to consume his lunch.

Daphne stood stunned. Her face was flushed red at being so uncontrollable when he was involved. Maybe she really do like him more than a friend. The crush she had for him was slowly turning into something more. If only...

But for now, it was time for lunch. "Hey wait for me Harry!"

* * *

The headmaster of the school was a wizened old man who had lived for more than a century. Having experienced life of an average man three times over, you could say that he was definitely wise. But many thought that his old age was catching up with him especially when he started saying nonsensical things.

So when he announced to the school that the third floor corridor was out of bounds for those who did not wish to die a terrible death, students and professors alike all thought he was really a crazy old man. But he did it on purpose.

Voldemort was truly a horrible yet powerful dark lord. Headmaster Dumbledore saw through his education as a student and he would always say that Tom Riddle was one of his greatest mistakes. As a result, he took responsibility and would see through the end of Voldemort's reign as a dark lord.

Then the prophecy came, stating the chosen one would be the one ending Voldemort's life, screwing up his entire plan mercilessly. He knew that he did not die totally during the night Neville Longbottom survived the killing curse. Call it a hunch or what, but Headmaster Dumbledore did not gain it without being so old.

Thus, he set up a trap in Hogwarts and announced it to the school or more specifically to the professors. As the only new incoming professor was the Defence against the Dark Arts professor Quirrel, he more or less suspected him to be the one involved with Voldemort but the whereabouts and methodology were the questions. Without any conclusive evidence, Headmaster Dumbledore would not confront him lest Voldemort escaped once again from his clutches.

That was the primary purpose. As to the secondary purpose, it would be to test the boy-who-lived's moral compass and prowess. Placing the Philosopher's stone, a treasure that would allure almost every wizards and witches into wanting it, Dumbledore hoped that Neville would be able to withdraw it from the mirror. If he could not, it would highly mean that he was not a simple person and Dumbledore would have to do something to change his mind-set. As the boy-who-lived and the icon against Voldemort, he would have to be altruistic and brave so as to imbibe hope against the death eaters.

As he mused over his plans, a Harry Potter came to his mind. It was tragic for him to survive while his parents died. Dumbledore was quite curious as to how he survived the Fiendfyre. Even today, he did not have an answer for it. But seeing how average he was in school, nothing spectacular seen coming from the boy, he was pushed off the list for Dumbledore. He was a busy man after all.

Today marked the end of examinations for the students except for those taking OWLs and NEWTs. It was time for him to spring the trap. Hopefully, Neville would be there to confront Voldemort and live again. It was a gamble but it was necessary.

Headmaster Dumbledore announced to the professors during one of the meetings before flying off in a broom, showing to the spy within the professors that the headmaster would not be around in school. That was enough to send a message for Professor Quirrel to look for the stone tonight.

* * *

"Finally! That was the last paper!" Tracey shouted in exuberance.

The first years had concluded with their final year examinations. Students alike were all jumping for joy that there would be no more intense studying for a while.

As for Harry, he was laughing to himself internally about how easy all the tests were and that he rigged his own answers so as to make it seem that he was just an average Joe. And he knew he had succeeded in doing that.

"So what are we doing to do today? Let's have a walk outside the castle! I'm sick and tired of being in the library for Merlin knows how long..." Tracey suggested.

"That's just you Trace. You don't see us complaining about it do you?" Her best friend giggled at her antics.

"Don't mock at me again Miss I-love-books! You might make me think that you are Granger!"

Daphne gasped. "Don't compare me with her! That's just awful..."

Blaise gave a snicker. "Conclusion? Don't mess with Tracey or she might think of weird things to say about you." That earned him a smack on the arms.

Daphne could only shake her head. She leaned in towards Tracey, whispering, "You two are awfully close."

Tracey gave her a grin. "Not as close as you and Harry. So have you kiss?" She then demonstrated it with her mouth, which was seen by the other two boys.

"Potter? I think Tracey's becoming a homo."

Harry tilted his head. "I think you're enamoured with her instead."

"Says who!" Blaise blushed lightly.

Just then the two girls came walking towards them. "What are you two talking about?" Tracey questioned.

"Oh... Nothing much. Just..."

Harry cut him off. "Zabini is concerned that you like Daphne more than him."

Blaise glared at Harry which was pointedly ignored. Tracey was shocked and her mind was still comprehending Harry's words. Daphne had a giggle.

She gave Harry a look which he replied with nodding.

"See you two in a while!" Daphne exclaimed before she followed Harry back up the stairs.

That left the two remaining students confused. "Did they...?" Blaise started.

"Yes they did."

"Oh well... But there's something more that they are hiding. You see how they just communicate without words?"

Blaise nodded.

"It seems that they are beyond words already... Wow..."

* * *

Daphne was walking beside Harry as they head towards the library. Harry was deep in thoughts. Now that the examinations were finally over, his mind became cleared all of a sudden. Without the distractions, he could concentrate fully now onto the mystery as to what exactly is Headmaster Dumbledore planning.

All of a sudden, he had an epiphany. Links never thought before as logical between the stories came to him abruptly. The answer was right in front of him all the time.

"Quirrel. It must be Quirrel," he muttered softly more to himself. Daphne caught onto his words.

"Explain yourself Harry." Although she was not as zealous in chasing after the mystery as to why there was a Cerberus of all things in Hogwarts, a mystery kept her mind active.

"You see Daphne, I had a suspicion that Professor Quirrel is the one Headmaster Dumbledore is trying to trap within Hogwarts with the Philosopher's stone."

"But...? Why did you only realise it with certain now?"

Harry gave a grin. "The answers were all right in front of us. We established that it must be a professor the headmaster was trying to lure beneath the Cerberus because it is too dangerous for any students to face the creature without much training. And now, let me ask you a few questions and see how it goes. Firstly, the troll incident. Can you tell me more about it?"

She closed her eyes and forced down her feelings. That incident was the single most dangerous event she had ever faced. "A troll came into Hogwarts and we..."

"No. Before that. What happened in the Great Hall?"

"Great hall?" She gave a look of understanding. "Professor Quirrel came warning us about the troll before fainting."

"Had my suspicions too on that. What you said confirmed my predictions. Why would a DADA professor come running into the great hall to warn the students? Isn't it better to just tell the professors so as not to incur panic?"

Daphne gave a nod. "That must be the work of professor Quirrel to divert attention to the troll if I'm not wrong."

"That is correct Daphne. It's more likely that he is afraid of Dumbledore finding out what he was doing even if he did not know the entire thing is a trap. And as to his inane stuttering, why would the headmaster even invite someone like him to teach? Unless of course there's something that doesn't meet the eyes."

"Which means that the headmaster is doing this on purpose to lure him here. But why? Why would he want Professor Quirrel to steal the stone? Why would he want to trap professor Quirrel?"

There was a shrug from Daphne before they reached the library. It was time to start with his plan. He saw the golden trio and walked towards their direction, making sure to talk loudly for them to hear. As the examinations just finished today, the library was quite empty.

"Say Daphne... alchemy...Nicholas Flamel and Headmaster Dumbledore?"

* * *

"So who exactly is this Nicholas Flamel?"

"Argh... I read about it somewhere... He... He had a connection with Headmaster Dumbledore. They were doing something. I don't know... I can't recall it at this moment!" She grabbed her hair in frustration. It was not normal for her to ever have a slip in memory but truth to be told, she did not have an eidetic memory. Having saw something once before did not mean she would remember it forever.

"Calm down. Maybe I should just try mailing back to my gran, but I doubt she would be happy with my involvement in such dangerous act."

"No! Just... give me more time. I'm sure I can get this figured out."

"But..."

"NO! Neville, do you trust in me?"

Said boy kept quiet for a moment, thinking over his options as to what he should tell the girl in front of him. He did not trust that she would be able to make miracles happen within a few hours. But she was a good friend and he did not want to hurt her. Fortunately, he was saved by the timely arrival of two Slytherins walking by, talking loudly to each other.

"Say Daphne... Are you interested in Alchemy?"

"Not really... Although I have to agree that Alchemy seems to be quite an interesting subject, I would prefer potions any day since I have zilch knowledge on Alchemy."

"But if you were given a chance to study under Nicholas Flamel, would you?"

"Isn't that obvious, Mister? I mean seriously, who wouldn't?"

"I see... What if Headmaster Dumbledore gave you a choice in learning Alchemy as well?"

"Between those two? Honestly? I would rather not study under that old coot... What with all the weird stuff he said... Old age is definitely catching up on him."

"And you are saying it's not the case for Flamel..."

The two Slytherins went off further into another section of the library and could no longer be heard anymore by the two students. But whatever they heard was enough.

"You are a miracle worker 'Mione!" Neville stated clearly with his eyes sparkling. The girl did not know what had happened to him but she would not look the gift horse in its mouth. Immediately, she was on her way taking all the books on the said subject on the collaboration of a master-apprentice relationship between Headmaster Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel. Neville was there helping her with the work.

"Now then comes the next question. Where is Ron when you need an extra pair of eyes?" Neville asked, earning a groan from Hermione.

"Don't speak of that lazy bum! Seriously, he needs an attitude makeover. I highly doubt he will be able to find a career in the future if he continues like that."

Neville laughed. "Same sentiments 'Mione, same sentiments."

* * *

"Harry?"

"I say that is a job well done. They are none the less wiser about what we have done today."

Daphne was a very intelligent girl, yet she paled in comparison as to the calculative mind Harry had. As of now, she had totally no idea why he wanted to tell the golden trio about the missing connection they needed in order to know what the speculated treasure was hidden underneath the third floor trapdoor.

She definitely did not want to become an enemy of Harry. But that was a school of thought for another Daphne in another dimension because in this world, she his friend and would continue to be. Therefore, it made little sense for her to fear him. Instead, Daphne felt oddly comforted by that knowledge that she had Harry as a friend.

"So... Do you mind sharing with me why you do what you just did?" Daphne asked curiously.

Harry gave a smirk. "The golden trio would be going for the stone tonight."

"Wait... What?" Daphne was confused. He was very certain of that.

"Do you remember seeing someone flying off from the castle this afternoon when we were outside basking in the sun?"

Daphne gave a nod.

"That was Headmaster Dumbledore." Harry said in a certain way.

Inside her mind, Daphne was thinking of the implications. Even if she was not as shrewd in such matter as Harry, she could say that she was one of the brightest witch in her year. So it was to be expected that she could deduct how Harry arrived at that conclusion. It was just that she was handicapped in being a human like her sight.

"But why?" she questioned him. "I don't see your angle as to why you want them to risk their lives for the stone?"

Harry gave a laugh. "What is better than having the boy-who-lived fight against Professor Quirrel? It'll be entertaining for one."

Daphne gasped. "So that was what you were trying to do? Set up a fight between them? But what is it to you anyway?"

"Well Daphne, you see, somehow or another, Longbottom has found his way into thinking I'm his enemy, no doubt because of the poison placed within his mind by those around him."

"But aren't both of your houses long-term allies?" Daphne cut in, puzzled.

"Yes. And from what I see, he is looking at me with a different point of view as compared to when we first met him."

Daphne tried racking her brains to see if she recollected any memories regarding how Longbottom regarded Harry but to no avail. She had no paid much attention to him until today.

Harry continued once he saw Daphne was ready. "I highly doubt you would remember it but he went past our compartment during the first trip in Hogwarts Express. The moment he saw both you and Tracey, he went off. Initially, I didn't care much about that small little act of his, after all, I wasn't much into making friends."

Daphne gave him a light smile at reminiscing those times on how hard it was to break into his attitude.

"Yet after the day I found out how my parents died, I immediately went on researching about my family and how in the hell did I end up with those muggle relatives."

Harry paused momentarily to calm himself down.

"I found out that in actual fact, the Longbottom was our longstanding ally. But they did not come in aid for me. So I did a little more digging and realise that they were attacked by the dark lord, resulting in brain coma for both the Lord and Lady of the House. It was a pity but I could understand how shorthanded they were as well to bring me in."

Daphne was listening in rapt attention now. This was a very important moment for her to learn more about the thinking behind her enigmatic friend, as well as the likelihood of a change in between two powerful Ancient houses within Magical Britain.

"Then I did a little thinking and more researching on both yours and Tracey's house. No offense. Coupled with how I am sorted into Slytherin and how Weasley, one of the most fervent supporters of the idea that all Slytherins are dark is currently friends with Longbottom... I'm sure you can see how this entire thing goes."

Daphne thought back over to her most memorable interaction with Longbottom and Weasley – during the troll incident. Ron Weasley was totally prejudiced against them but Neville Longbottom had a bit more sensible head. There was another occasion she saw at which Longbottom tried to in using diplomacy against Malfoy. She could not see how Longbottom was totally biased against Slytherin and decided to voice it out.

"But Harry, if you remember clearly, Longbottom was not totally biased against us. If you remembered the snowball fight we had last year, he was trying to talk his way out of a fight between Malfoy. I think your overthinking things too much."

Harry could not deny the truth in her words. "I don't deny what you are saying. It's more of just me that he is biased against. Being in Slytherin only gives him more reason to think that I'm becoming so called 'dark' or in a sense, evil. Regardless of this, I do need to take into consideration that he might be a powerful wizard in the future and the possibility that he might be against me."

That meant prudence and thinking ahead, which were important traits for a Slytherin to have. Daphne could not flaw his logic in that after all since if she was in his shoes, she might do the same thing as well. Information on possible enemies was a very important knowledge to have and she was glad to be on his side.

"And thus, tonight I will be having some fun in seeing how Longbottom and his fellow Gryffindor friends fare in the battle against a Professor." Harry gave a wicked laughter.

"Can I come with you?" Daphne felt inquisitive on what lay underneath the trapdoor.

"I wouldn't mind but there is the problem of you hiding out of their sight. If you can find a way to do it, then by all means."

"What about your secret skill? The one you used to save..."

"No. If you remember clearly, both of you were suffocating and I will not have you dying on me."

"And the invisibility cloak?"

Harry contemplated over the options once over. "Nope. It is too dangerous. You might get caught over the spell crossover between them. The cloak does not make you invulnerable."

Daphne tried to think of something to convince Harry but it was futile. All these cloak and dagger acts were not part of her norm. She looked dejected at the loss of such opportunity.

Seeing her so crestfallen, Harry could not help but feel his feelings and anticipation for tonight's trip dampened as well. Try as he might, he felt it hard to gain control over his emotions once again whenever Daphne was involved. But he did not regret it at all.

"Daphne? I will inform you of my findings alright? It's better this way... I don't want you to get into trouble." Harry pat her shoulder, which earned him a smile.

"Thanks Harry."

"Meanwhile... I believe there are something you can do to help me."

She perked up immediately at that.

"Do inform our head of house tonight regarding the golden trio. Wouldn't want them dead. And do keep Tracey out of the loop. You know how she is on such things..." A shudder went down Harry's spine.

Daphne giggled at his antics. "Consider it done, and Harry?" She moved forward to embrace him. "Stay safe."

* * *

That night, Harry was within the shadows of Neville Longbottom. He followed the golden trio through the trials and tribulations set up by the professors of Hogwarts with none the wiser of his location. He saw how an enchanted harp was already playing as they entered the room of the Cerberus.

But as Lady Luck would have it, the harp stopped playing when they just opened the trapdoor and being the Gryffindor they were, they jumped without knowing the dangers beneath it. It was a dumb move for them.

As they fell onto the Devils snare, Neville being the expert in Herbology knew what to do. They passed the Defence by Professor Sprout easily.

Yet the charmed keys by Professor Flitwick was an extreme challenge for them especially with Neville and Hermione being totally 'talented' when it comes to flying. Without a choice, Ron was the one flying. They made it through by a hair's breadth.

Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration Defence of a chess was played once again by their strategist Ron. Harry could see how invaluable he was in the group and knew never to underestimate him again even if he acted dumb. Ron sacrificed his knight and in turn, got injured and would be out of the fight for the rest of the journey.

As they passed through the door, the troll was already knocked out presumably by Professor Quirrel and yet the two thought it was Professor Snape still. How foolish they were.

The logic-based Defence by professor Snape was easy to the brilliance of Hermione. She would definitely be the Daphne of his group. But there was only enough potion to grant a single individual the protection to cross the fire, leaving Neville alone in his fight against Professor Quirrel.

Thus, Harry stood by watching the entire thing, analysing every single move made by Neville. He was good for a first year. Against an experienced professor? He felled and was incarcerated by him soon enough after the exchange of a few spells.

Apparently, Voldemort was the one behind the scene, acting as the mastermind of Professor Quirrel seeing how he possessed him. Harry finally know that he, the nemesis of his and Longbottom's family was still alive as a wraith somehow. It was shocking to know but he did not expect anything less from such a powerful dark lord. It was some for him to increase the intensity of his training. He needed to prepare himself for the time the dark lord rise again.

Once he saw Neville destroyed Quirrel by touching him, he knew that the magic used was old magic and something akin to the reason he survived – likely to be blood magic by his mother. That was a conjecture though.

After the death of Quirrel and Voldemort becoming a wraith again, Harry could not help but laugh at seeing Neville standing in front of the mirror, desperately trying to attain the stone. The boy-who-lived was a wolf in sheep's clothing after all.

* * *

It was finally the last-day feast they would be having for their first year in Hogwarts. This had been an interesting year for Harry. He learned a lot of things and he definitely knew that he grew as a person and as a wizard.

Within the training group, he was neither the most experienced nor knowledgeable one out of the four, but his instincts and ability to be unpredictable gave him the upper-hand in many mock duels. Magical strength it seemed was not that important when it came to winning a match. Even with his magic still being suppressed, he could win hands-down.

But that was only because they were still rookies in duelling. Harry would be using the summers to finally let out all his restraints. He needed to find someone to ask if suppressing magic would be healthy or not because for the past month, he did not feel any enormous growth on his magic anymore.

When the results were released, he found himself right smack in the middle. Everything was an 'Acceptable'. It was fine for him. His cover had not been blown yet and no professors other than Snape had approached him. He was just a student in Hogwarts.

Daphne had gotten the second in their year, behind Hermione Granger. She was satisfied with it since never in her life would she ever become such a hard-core bookworm Hermione was.

Once the feast was over, Headmaster Dumbledore did something that shocked the hell out of everyone, especially Harry. He thought that being the Headmaster, he would be actively encouraging friendships between houses and not rivalry. But today showed him otherwise.

Dumbledore gave the golden trio house points, enough just to edge out Slytherin from the winning house for that year. It was without a doubt one of the most disappointing and biased acts ever done right in front of the entire Hogwarts cohort. As a result, Slytherin's reign in Hogwarts had finally ended, yet there was nothing they could do to overwhelm the words of the Headmaster.

After the feast, Daphne brought Harry to the top of the Astronomy tower, the place they started this year with. Knowing that it would be three months before they would be seeing each other again unless there was some kind of intervention done by fate, Daphne wanted to spend as much time as possible with her friend.

They lay down on the ground by the tower, enjoying the beautiful view unobscured by the city lights. The sky was clear tonight and it was the phase of the new moon, allowing the two students full view of the stars twinkling.

"Wow… Can you see Orion there?" Daphne pointed out to one of the most prominent constellations in the night sky. They were taught to recognise this very well-known constellation during their very first Astronomy lesson.

Harry affirmed it. "Yeah… Glad that I can have such a beautiful view of the sky here at Hogwarts. I can't quite see the stars in the sky at night when I'm back in the cities…"

"That… is disappointing. I do enjoy watching the skies sometimes when I'm back at home. Though father disapproved of my actions, I did not really give much regard to him. When I was young, I would just sneak out to the garden without father knowing and just lay on the ground, watching the night sky…" Daphne hummed contentedly as she reminisced back to her past.

Harry gave a light laugh. "Didn't know you were the rebellious type when you were young."

"Oh Harry… I'm the most rebellious girl any parents could have. That was how I drove father mad, so much so that he…" Daphne's voice broke off abruptly into silence in the peaceful environment.

"It's in the past. Let's enjoy the present while it lasts…" Harry comforted her.

They enjoyed each other's company in silence for a while.

Daphne turned to the side to face Harry once curiosity got the better of her. "You know Harry, I always wonder why you kept so many secrets to yourself. I mean if it's someone else… Fine… But me?"

Harry closed his eyes. "There was once…"

_Flashback on_

"Hey Harry! Wanna play with me?" A little girl asked while extending her hand in a bid to invite him.

Harry gave her a nod and grasped her hand to follow to wherever she was planning to bring him to. "Yup!"

The two children ran around in the open field within school. They played many games together. For Harry, he felt joy as she was his first playmate. He was having a lot of fun.

This girl was special to him. As his first ever friend, he decided to share secrets of his to her because he always thought that secrets were not meant to be between friends. Friends would take care of one another and ensure the secrets were kept safe between them.

As a result, he told her about the abnormalities in his life, about how he could make certain stuff float in the air, which he showed her, and how sometimes when his relatives beat him, his injuries would be healed within a few hours. He told her about how evil his relatives were that they would always call him monster or freak and beat him whenever they felt like. He told her how he became the maid for the household at a young and tender age, cooking, cleaning and gardening for his relatives.

Once he let out of all his secrets, he felt happy because now, someone was there to for him to talk to him and to comfort him. For a while, she was what he dreamt of as a perfect friend. She did not care about who he was and about how abusive his relatives were. She would play with him as a friend.

But everything changed today. She brought him all the way into a crowd of children. Just then, she pushed him into the middle of the group.

"So… What do we have here?" One of the biggest boys in school sneered. He would be presumably the leader of the group.

"What do you want? I just want to play…" Harry tried to show his strong, brave self but that only incurred laughter from the entire group.

"Good job Maggie. He trusted you totally and now that we know of his secrets, we should not allow such freak in our world to live. You know your relatives were doing the right things? They…"

Harry did not care much about what the bully was saying anymore. He looked at his very first friend. She was smirking at him and laughing at how stupid he was to trust in someone else his secrets. He felt heart-broken for the first time and he knew then not to trust anyone else again, ever.

That was one of his worst memories he had of his childhood. Not because of the beatings he got until the inch of death by the bullies but rather, because of the betrayal from his first 'friend'. He learned never to trust another human being again because.

_Flashback end_

After hearing his story, Daphne scooted over and grasped his hand into hers. She finally knew of the reason why he did not trust anyone else and why he was so secretive. So it appeared that he had been betrayed before when he was young. That moulded his entire mind-set with paranoia, worse so as a child's mind was more susceptible to influence and traumatic experiences.

What Harry needed now was not pity though. He needed a good friend who would show him the errors of such thinking. She would be the one to pave through and change his life into a more trusting and better one, just like how she hoped he could help her as well just by being a companion.

She had been betrayed before as well by her father. But her situation was getting bleaker. Astoria did send back a letter. Although she expected what the answer would be like, a little part of her wished that everything was just a dream.

This summer, Daphne would most likely just spend her time gathering more information about her father's words, to see the authenticity in it. She needed to get a clear answer as to the reason for why he said her life was a lie and to see if Astoria and her mother could ever be influenced back to their past selves. But it would be a very tough journey for her since inside her heart, she knew that Astoria did inherit the love for power from father and like him, once it started, the thirst for more would never be quenched. Daphne could do naught about helping her mother though since she was under the beck and call of her father. Unless she arrange an accident for him to disappear, which would more or less create unforeseen circumstances, there was nothing Daphne could do to help her mother.

Worse come to worse, Daphne did not mind disowning her own family. As the named and blood heiress to the Greengrass family, she had that ability to do so. Being a NoName and disgrace of Magical Britain was seen as a blessing rather than being a slave of the Greengrass family. But it would only be done during desperate times. She only hope that Harry would be there for her when she decided to do so.

Tracey was a viable alternative as someone who could help her instead of Harry but unlike him, she could never know how hard it was to live such an abusive life. Daphne would not find happiness if she were to ever stick her entire life with Tracey. A superficial understanding of her life counted as an equal to not knowing her.

"Harry…" She gave a squeeze to his hand. "If I were to ever be disowned from my family, would you be there for me?"

Harry was not shocked at her question. He had expected it from her ever since the letter from Astoria. There was nothing left for her within the Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass.

"Send Hedwig to me with your location. I won't let you be alone."

Daphne gave a huge smile before jumping on him to give him a hug of happiness.

* * *

They were on Hogwarts Express back to King Cross Station. School was over and the summer holidays were here again. Everyone felt happy as they got to see their family again.

Harry was once again situated in the same compartment as Daphne, Tracey and a new addition, Blaise.

"How nostalgic. I could still remember us trying to befriend you last year Harry." Tracey started a conversation within the group, earning a smile from the other two original members while Blaise was left out.

"Hey hey! How about changing into something else instead that involves me?" He cried out.

Before they could continue, there was a knock before the door to the compartment opened.

"Hello. Potter, may I talk to you for a minute?"

The rest of the people in the compartment turned to him, with Daphne particularly concerned about what it might be about. Harry gave her a smile and a wink which only she could see. She could only wonder how far ahead Harry had been thinking before letting him out.

"So Daph, what was that all about? What did Harry signal to you?" Tracey asked her.

Daphne shook her head. "A secret." She grinned.

Tracey looked at Blaise, both had the same expressions. "Having one Harry was enough. Now there's two? And she is my best friend?" Tracey groaned.

Daphne giggled before giving her a pat on the shoulder. "Come on, it's not that bad… right?"

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Oh the irony…"

Meanwhile outside the compartment…

"So Longbottom, what do you want to talk about?"

He cleared his throat. "I just want to ask a simple question. Do you know about the long-standing tradition of both our houses?"

Harry did not make any expressions though he was smirking inwardly. This would be his chance of gaining a powerful ally or an enemy. He would not make it seem that he was a foolish child and would follow the boy-who-lived. Harry was an alpha male, not unlike that of Neville. But against the dark lord, it would be advantageous for them to work together. It was time to make him guilty, to manipulate his emotions so that he would see and support his point of view.

"Yes. I know of it."

A frown was seen on Neville. "But why did you not look for me then?"

"I could ask the same for you, Heir Longbottom." Harry retorted.

"Well..." He tried finding a good reason without giving off the exact one. It did not paint him a good picture were he to say his true thinking. Yet Harry knew of it.

"Isn't it because you were too afraid? You are thinking I'm a Slytherin and a potential dark wizard who was influenced by Daphne and Tracey."

Neville's eye widened at how spot on Harry's statement was about his own thinking. It was like he could read his mind.

"Yes. I know about how you tried to look for me during the first day in this train. But you left once you saw them with me isn't it?"

Neville began sweating lightly as he was really scared of the boy in front of him he tried to extend a hand of friendship with. He had never known that Harry was such an intimidating and observant person. Neville felt afraid for his own secrets and that Harry might be a potentially dangerous enemy if this hand at friendship failed.

"But I gave you a chance, Longbottom. I let you try to redeem yourself by gaining some backbone from being in Gryffindor. And yet, what happened? Instead you began thinking like Weasley. You became polluted in your mind towards us Slytherin. I could see how you tried avoiding me."

"But that's because of a headache..."

"Don't make excuses."

Neville clenched his fists. His emotions were being laid bare open to Harry who happily gobbled them up like an apex predator. "But aren't you going dark?"

Harry gave a chuckle. "That's all about perspective. But in your cause of view, no. I'm not supporting Voldemort. Never did and never will. But I believe our values have already diverted too much. In the coming war, I will be extending a temporary hand in being allies with you. But that's it. After the war, I say screw tradition. It died with my parents. What say you Longbottom?"

Neville was shaking from top to bottom. Never in his entire life was he so totally outmanoeuvred and humiliated. But there was little he could do now to salvage this long-standing relationship between their houses. His grandmother would be disappointed. Though Neville would try not to be his enemy for now. Until he could gain a stronghold himself and become powerful by himself.

"You have my word Heir Potter. Against the dark lord it shall be..."

Just then, the door to the compartment opened. Daphne's head poked out. "Harry?"

He gave a nod to Neville before turning and heading back to his compartment. But Neville saw it. He saw how Daphne placed her hand on Harry's which he accepted.

All hope is not lost it seems. Neville gave a smirk. _'So the tough Potter has a weak spot...' _

Throughout the rest of the train trip, Daphne kept a hand on Harry's. Tracey saw it and kept making fun of the two but they said they were just friends. Harry knew better than to let go of her hand. She needed all the support from him were she to go through the summers by herself with a hated family. Harry was fortunate he could be by himself since he left the Dursley's.

Once they reached King cross station, Harry gave a hug to Tracey and surprisingly, Blaise. It was the last hug that brought a bit of his negative emotions back as he would not be seeing her for three months. They lingered in that position for as long as they could. Daphne did not want to let go, yet all good things had to end.

They bade their farewell before the group of friends parted.

* * *

**A/N: Thus we conclude the first year of Hogwarts. Coming up next would be the summer in conjunction with second year. Stay tune... **


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Chapter 14

It was the summer holidays once again. Harry Potter was back to Leaky Cauldron, a temporary place of lodging for him.

Tom had somehow recognise him from the visit he had last year. The barkeeper had to have that good of a memory in order to function well for his business since that particular trait was one of the few main reasons customers would come back to Leaky Cauldron. Luckily for him, Harry had not tell Tom his name yet and Tom had not pestered him for his identity. It was a win-win situation for both. Harry could ensure nobody knew of where he stayed and Tom had one more loyal patron for his bar. It was just a simple order of business.

Harry gave his thanks once again for the meals, services and room provided. An extra tip given allowed Tom to provide the best services for him. The adage 'Money makes the world go round' is indeed universal even here in the magical world, granted that they were still stuck in the Dark Ages where bribery was still strife.

For him, it was a great fortune to inherit the great wealth from his family. He was really glad to be born into the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter even though his parents were dead.

As much as Harry would like to spend his summer just lazing around and enjoying his life in solitude without anybody disturbing him, he had much things to do these three months.

The first agenda would be to visit the goblins. The last visit was hurried, seeing that he was still new to the world and that he needed the fundamental knowledge in order to survive in this great new world.

But now, having lived and studied in a castle where magic was the norm, he attained much enlightenment. Blood and family ties were extremely important. Magical Britain was an oligarchical society, where in the Wizengamot, Wizarding Britain's high court of law, seats that granted the lord or lady a single vote each was passed down from generation to generation by blood, not counting those few exceptional cases where the lord named someone else an heir for his house.

The highest status a magical family could have would be the 'Ancient and Most Noble' status. This was followed by the 'Ancient and Noble' or just 'Ancient' houses. The lowest form of status that could be granted to a family registered in Britain was with a simple term of 'Magical'.

The House of Potter, Longbottom, Bones and Black were among the few that were already conferred the highest form of status within society. Just being born or wed into the family would grant anybody respect. These people would be akin to royalty and nobles. Each of the lords and ladies in these houses could have the final say for all matters brought up in Wizengamot. But they would only have the power to overrule the general consensus of the entire Wizengamot if and only if at least three quarters of the houses agreed to it.

As for the Ancient Houses which included the House of Greengrass, Malfoy, Lestrange and Nott, they were sort of like the middle-upper class within the social hierarchy. Each was granted a vote in Wizengamot.

Last but not least were the Magical Houses. These houses were newly formed during this century. In order to merit for the status to be conferred, they would have to have at least three generations of wizards and witches born in Magical Britain. Only then could they have the status. As for their power, they could not vote at all in Wizengamot. Yet they would have their say and could attend the parliament in order to ensure matters concerning them were heard.

So for Harry, being the only survivor and heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter, he would definitely be rich. The history of the House of Potter goes all the way back to the starting of Magical Britain and the founding four for Hogwarts. That goes to show how old the House of Potter was, and with that amount of time, it was without a doubt that the gold for the house would flourish. Old and priceless tomes and artefacts could definitely be found in their vault as well. It was with this reason that brought Harry back to Gringotts once again, hoping to visit it.

"Key please?" The goblin-teller asked.

"I'm here to see my account manager, Master goblin." Harry replied politely. He had read beforehand that the goblin was a proud race. They loved gold as much as they wanted to be treated with respect. Given how the current Ministry of Magic was extremely biased against all forms of magical creatures, including the goblins who were the backbone of magical economy in Britain, it was to be expected for them to dislike humans. Harry was not stupid though. By treating them with respect, he could ensure at least a return of such favour from them, which was much needed seeing how his entire family riches were within their vaults. It would not do him any good were he to criticise and ostracise them. That part was what he did not understand about the current Ministry.

The goblin just stared at him with a surprised look, not used being treated like an equal from human, and gave Harry an expression that looked like a sneer to him, showing his dirty teeth. But Harry knew that it was just their way of showing a smile.

"Give me a moment." There was various conversation going on after that, much of which Harry could not understand at all. It must be their language.

A goblin came walking towards him. He was wearing some form of armour with a distinct Potter crest on it. So it seems this was his account manager.

"Follow me." He told Harry and headed back without even waiting for a reply. Goblins were extremely busy creatures. So, he followed closely behind, looking around the corridor that was made of some kind of metal as seen by its shine.

Once they were behind the doors, Harry waited for permission before he sat.

"So Mister Harry Potter, what do you need to see me for?" He asked, a tone of urgency beneath which Harry could discern easily.

"Master goblin, is there any other vault which I can access, coming from my family?"

"No. You must wait until you get emancipated in order for you to access your family vault."

Harry gave a frown. He wanted to try his way of persuading his account manager so that he could give him some form of leeway but it might create more trouble. Goblin culture as he learned during Histories of Magic (which is useful for once) was extremely brutal such that any form of rebellion would result in death. Going against the instructions of the Goblin King was considered that.

During his thoughtfully moment, the goblin was seen tapping the table impatiently. Harry gave a sigh. Just his luck.

"Can I at least check up on my account balance for all the vaults?"

"A moment."

The goblin was seen searching through his cabinet of files, before getting one out and opening it. Inside was a piece of paper which was given to Harry to peruse.

As he read through it, his eyes became wider and wider. Shocked was an understatement for what he was feeling now. He had known his family was rich but THIS rich?

Apparently, his trust vault was given five thousand galleons every year since he was a born, with five thousand galleons less for the school fee in Hogwarts. Thinking of Hogwarts brought another incident to his forethoughts.

"Is there any last will left behind by my parents? Can I..."

"Locked. Your magical guardian saw through it."

Another frown. "What do you mean?"

"I meant what I said Mister Potter. If you are quite done? Time is money and I have much things to do, unless you do not want your vault to flow with gold?"

"My apologies Master Goblin. One last question. Is Dumbledore my..."

"Yes" The goblin sneered, cutting through Harry's question before beckoning him to please leave.

_'How did my family end up with such a disrespectful account manager?'_ Harry rolled his eyes before leaving without a small amount of haste. Even if his account manager did not force him to leave, he would. Before he left, he ensured that the account manager would inform him of any unauthorised withdrawals from anybody other than him.

Leaving Gringotts, he had many thoughts within his mind. Somehow, Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts became his magical guardian and locked up the wills and testaments left behind by his parents. Did that mean that it was his parents who asked him to take care of him when they died? If so, why did he not do anything to ensure his living accommodation was at the very least, liveable? Ever since the open bigotry of the Slytherin and favouritism of Gryffindor during the last-day feast in Hogwarts, Harry disliked that old coot. Now that he had enough information from the goblins, he could openly say that he hated him.

Harry would keep those thoughts in his own mind. It would not do him any good to leak out that something fishy was going on. The art of deception taught him to not unveil any information unless it was done on purpose. That was what he planned to do. Until he had more information regarding the crazy old coot, he would not make it known that Harry suspected him for doing uncouth things.

Yet now that he could not stay in any of the properties owned by his family due to the lock on his family's will and his family vault as well, he had no choice but to live in Leaky Cauldron until the end of summer.

Having finished the most important tasking he set himself to do, it was now time for Harry to visit Knockturn Alley again. His goal this time was to find and obtain books on his shadow and fire manipulation. Ancient runes and Arithmancy seemed important for him as well since the former allowed him to extend his knowledge into learning runes that might do much things that could aid him in the future and the latter helping him learn more about wandless magic.

A more in-depth book on mind arts was needed as well ever since the fiasco last year with the troll. He needed to learn how to Obliviate and change memories of the target so as to ensure his cover remained. If he could learn Legilimency as well during the process, it would be all the more better for him. But he could not hope for more until his occlumency were up to master standard.

Once again, he went into the dark dimension, walking through the streets unseen and exploring the place. Knockturn Alley did not change much since his visit here last year. With some galleons, he gathered information from the various shopkeepers on places that sold rare and precious tomes on fire and shadow elementalism, as well as on mind arts. Ancient runes and Arithmancy books could be bought easily in the mainstream shop in Diagon Alley and were not of concern for him.

Now that his control on shadow manipulation was up a notch, he could use it as an extension of his appendage, threatening the shopkeepers physically without moving. Since the shadow was intangible, that provided him with a great tool in his disposal by not leaving any mark on the other party as well as preventing them from overpowering him with pure physical power. Also, it had not dawned on him yet but so far, nobody could overcome his shadow abilities yet. Due to the lighting within the shops that conducted shady deals, he could hide his use of shadow, thus confounding the shopkeepers into thinking he was actually using some form of wandless magic. The fewer people who knew about that, the better for him.

Yet even with his extortionist methods, it seems none of the shops had books on fire and shadow manipulation. He did see a shop selling the one and only book on Necromancy which he bought at an exorbitant price even when it was haggled down. Such a rare tome would definitely be worth the cost.

_'Be gone Sorting Hat! Luck seems to favour the tenacious.'_ Harry smirked inwardly. Necromancy was as close as he could get to manipulation of the shadow, even if it was a completely different art from what he could control. Nevertheless, having an army which he could raise at his disposal would be useful for him.

Having done his futile search, it was time to begin the third task for today – sign up on a class for martial arts. Harry could see one of the greatest weaknesses wizards and witches had, and that was the lack of close combat skills. If he could not defeat his opponents with magic, then he would just combat them with his bare fists, legs and whatever he could use.

Furthermore, he had always wanted to learn it after watching all those movies and shows Dudley watched when he was young. It was totally awesome seeing the actors and actresses kick the butts of the enemies. He would have gone and find himself an instructor to teach him but due to extenuating circumstances, also known as his relatives, he could only dream of it. Now that he was finally free from those 'pots' who called him, the 'kettle', monster, he could do whatever he wanted and martial arts definitely would be one of them.

Walking through the streets in London wearing normal jeans and shirt, he was just an ordinary human being. None was the wiser that he was actually a magic practitioner. Were he to do something abnormal right in the crowd, it might instigate another 'wizard-hunt' yet again. Thus it was vital to stay undercover and that was what Harry does best.

Muggle London did not change much since the last time he was here. He could still vaguely remember the shops selling clothes and books he bought from last year. The streets were still as busy as always, with commoners prowling about.

Something caught his mind last year – a small poster that touted an instructor teaching a class of students on MMA. That was what Harry hoped to find. He crossed his fingers as he walked to his destination.

_'Please let it be there still...'_ Harry wished hard.

He found the alley for where the poster referred him to. It was empty and filthy. The drains were clogged with rubbish, permeating a distinct odour that made Harry cringed his nose in disgust. But with a rugged determination, he continued on, walking towards the address dictated on the poster.

He reached the place. A gate was what separated him from the building before him. It seemed kind of small and looked just like any normal residential place. There were totally no signs at all that showed it as a training house. So, with some kind of anxiety in him, Harry gave gate a push, opening it and walking towards the door.

Somehow, before he could even knock on it, the door opened and an old lady was there, looking at him weirdly.

"How may I help you?" She croaked out slowly, as if it might be her last breath any time.

Harry gave an awkward laughter. "I think I came to the wrong place. But is this..."

Before he could even finish his sentence, the old lady opened up the door to invite Harry within.

_'What a weird person.'_ But Harry followed after her anyway, in search of answers. He kept his guard up. This was a strange and might he say, dangerous place. He never knows what he might face. This was also against the principles indoctrinated in him.

Never ever enter a place without any preparation made. It might be the last thing you know. Gather information from the locals. Find out who or what lives within. Rushing in blindly is a gamble that will certainly lead to a lose-lose situation.

The old lady might be a retired MMA champion and could still kill him if he was not prepared. Still, there was nothing he could do to quench his curiosity for what lay ahead in this room. Harry had his hands clenched in a fist, ready to react to anything.

She continued walking, as fast as an elderly could move. Harry followed behind her, muscles within his legs tensed and his eyes darting around the place. There were no windows at all within the living room he just entered. The only exit was from the door he just came in from.

He followed her into the study room, dark as it could be from the curtains covering the window. This was his domain. He felt empowered from the simple act of entering the room.

When he took a step into the room the old lady suddenly turned around, brandishing out her left hand with an object on it. Harry was not one to take any chance and so, he moved backwards in a bid to dodge it so that he could stay behind the wall once he was outside the room. But in the process, he tripped over a leg, falling backwards. Before gravity could fully pull him, he was manhandled. His left hand was pulled upwards behind his back. In seconds, both his arms were locked by the hidden perpetrator behind him. He was not worried however since he could always escape back into the dark dimension, bringing him along and killing him in the process through suffocation. For now, he would just inspect the situation. Who knows, he might be the MMA instructor he was looking for.

"Why are you here?" A question was posed from the man behind him.

Harry gave a chuckle. How ironic was this person. He posted a notice looking for students to come so he could teach them for money and yet, here he was, asking him that question.

"Aren't you the one looking for students?" Harry answered.

He did not answer. For a moment, Harry thought that he really was in the wrong place. He was prepared to apologise for his mistake. Before he opened his mouth, he was let go by the perpetrator. Not a person to look into the mouth of a gift horse, he moved as quickly as he could away from the hidden assailant, facing him and with his back on the wall so that he would not be backstabbed once again.

Throughout his actions, the person gave a light chuckle. "Kid. You sure do have an immense instinct for survival eh? Follow me into the room. We need to have a talk with granny." With that, he entered into the room.

Harry raised an eye brow, wondering what was really happening. This whole situation caught him unaware out of the blue. He did not expect anything like that to ever happen in his life. He did not like it since he was not the one in power with the knowledge.

So, warily, he went back into the room, only the find the old lady with a fan on her hand. Harry could only eye-roll at his own stupidity and paranoia. But he would not let his guard down still even if he was overpowered in seconds by the big man.

"So, just a question from me. Am I in the right place?" Harry asked the two.

"Yes, son. Let me ask you a question. When did you see the poster?" The old lady asked Harry.

Tilting his head, he replied, "Last year? At or about the end of July?"

This time, the man gave a full-blown laughter. "You do know that we stopped teaching ever since then the start of this year?"

Harry blinked his eyes and double-checked his hearing to see if he heard it right. "Wait...What?"

"Yes. We stopped ever since then because there seem no point in teaching these students. All they want is to fight because of their thirst for violence." He shook his head. "Kids these days... I wonder what their parents are teaching them."

Harry gave a nod. "I understand. But please give me a chance. I promise you that I'm not here to learn how to fight for the sake of fighting."

"What are you fighting for then?"

"Me...?" Harry looked downwards, reflecting upon his values and beliefs. Even if he loved to be in power and knowledgeable and that his initial thoughts of coming here was because he thought fighting was cool as seen from the movies and shows, his real purpose here was not all that. "I want to learn it for self-protection."

The man seemed quite interested in Harry's answer. "Oh?

That invited Harry to further elaborate his answer with a twist to his answer so that he would not be revealing his true heritage. "I'm being chased after by some powerful lord. I need to learn how to fight so that I could protect myself. I want to live and not die."

Translation? Voldemort is coming after him unless he pledged his allegiance with him. That would never happen and so, Harry would need to defend himself in order to give him a chance to strike back.

It was fortunate for Harry that this man was not one for questions. He truly treasure the privacy behind his students' personal lives even though he had none currently.

"Call me Mike." He extended a hand for Harry, which he accepted it with a firm shake.

"Harry."

"Okay. Meet me here tomorrow at seven. We will begin with some basic physical exercises and a spar just to see how far you stand currently. I will be teaching you mostly on defensive moves, unless you have something to tell me?"

Harry shook his head. "It'll be fine. Thank you Mike."

And thus, Harry started on his lesson. Amazingly though, the old lady of the house was actually a master in martial arts. She was the one who taught Mike into what he is today. Harry knew then to never ever rile the old lady up. He did not have a death wish even if he was a wizard. He learned that lesson once and that was enough.

* * *

It was approximately a week later where we found Harry back in his room reading. Somehow, the book on Necromancy was not of much help. Granted, it stated various ways one could raise an army of skeletons or give life to a body by inserting a soul within, most required huge and macabre sacrifices that involved murdering someone. Harry might admit that he tends towards the darker side of magic due to the nature of his repertoire of spells and abilities, but murdering another person in cold blood for personal gains was totally out of league for him. He was still a human with a conscience, mind you.

Yet there were several rituals he could do which would allow him some form of edge against others should he need to use them. For now, he would just keep it within his trunk.

Currently, he was reading on Arithmancy. The mathematical calculations and equations involved were making him headache. It was little wonder that such a subject was taught only for the third years and higher. A more mature brain was needed to understand these things. Even though he could get some of it, it was totally time-intensive due to the duration needed just to understand a 'simple' equation within the book. Harry was determined still to learn them in order to master his wandless magic.

That was another advantage that he had living in Leaky Cauldron. Since this place was filled with wizards and witches coming in and out all the time, he could practice magic without fearing of being caught for underage magic. He found out through trial and error as always. When no letter came for him, he knew then and there that a loophole was found.

So now, he was in the midst of making turning _Incendio_ into a wandless weapon for him. Having a special affinity for fire, it would definitely allow him to bring doom for his opponent. With his bare hand, he could probably become a Pyromancer if he trained hard enough. That certainly brought him enough motivation to continue on striving to achieve his current goal. Ancient runes were a great help for him in allowing practice without burning or raising any forms of warning for other patrons of Leaky Cauldron.

Just then, the door to his room opened. As much as he would love Tom the barkeeper to come and remind him that supper was ready, he had remembered telling him not to ever barge into his room without warning. Harry was prepared to reprimand him when he realise that it was not him.

Without hesitation, he pointed his wand at the unknown person. He was old, really old judging by the colour of his hair and goatee, similar to that of Dumbledore. But what made him fear for the first time for his life was that he could sense the aura radiating from this person. It gave him the shudders just by being in his presence. His looks and stature portrayed a person of immense wisdom and experience which Harry could never hope to overcome even with a hundred year of continuous training. So he decided to use diplomacy as his foremost way of saving himself before all things go hell.

"Who are you and why did you barge into my room?" Harry questioned with a cold, emotionless voice just like how he always did in the past. There was no change in the man's expression. He gave Harry a chuckle. Fear began palpitating through his body once again. He wanted to try intimidating the man with the mask he practiced continuously for several years but he seemed to be invulnerable from it.

"I'm here to take you." Those simple five words coming from him illustrated the worst possible scenario Harry would ever have thought to ever occur to him. It seemed that he would be assaulted right even before he became a well-trained wizard. Nevertheless, he would not be going down without a fight.

Shooting a blasting hex, it was absorbed by a blue shield cast mere seconds before the bolt reached him. It seemed that either his reaction was slow or he had some fetish with theatrics and was mocking him. Regardless, it was his loss.

Harry began shooting spells after spells in his repertoire. He released his restraints mere seconds later. Control or not, he would definitely need his entire magical core to survive through this fight. He felt an orgasmic pleasure rushing through his body the moment his entire magical core was released. Coupled with the adrenaline rushing in his blood, Harry was really into this battle for his life.

Yet somehow, his kidnapper just stood there, defending himself without caring to return any spells.

_'Is he mocking me?'_ Harry fumed inwardly, though he controlled it with Occlumency.

But nothing seemed to break through that shield of his. He was even beginning to sweat from the continuous use of magic for a few minutes in his attempt to overwhelm that shield, yet to no avail.

Thus, it was decided then to uncover his trump cards. They would not serve him any well were he to die before he could even use them.

Sending a shadow, he willed it from behind his kidnapper in a bid to strangle him. He was still distracting him by his continuous throwing of spells.

Slowly, the shadow, an extension of his left arm moved ever closer until finally, it ledged itself on his target. It was right on the neck of the kidnapper. With a smirk, he gave it a squeeze, as hard as he could do to choke him.

It appeared to be working. The blue shield shimmered before dissipating in its existence. So it seemed that even a powerful wizard could fall due to arrogance. Harry was now mocking at him, proud of himself.

"Tsk. Even if I'm curious in finding out your identity, I'm not going to let you survive because it might be the end of me."

_'Information isn't as important as my life.'_

Suddenly, he his left hand was forced open. That very action jolted him, making him take a step back from the backlash. A conjecture at hand was that his kidnapper had in fact broke through the hold on his choke, and that brought back a backlash from the use of his magic within the shadow all the way to his body.

Harry knew then that it was time to escape. He could do nothing against such an enemy who could overpower him completely. Willing the shadow to envelop him the moment he recovered from his shock, he was planning to hide within the dark dimension where theoretical, he could not be reach. Or is it?

...

He flew forward towards the door. An immense bright light was seen within the room with the source coming from where he was flying towards. The abrupt outburst of light blinded him momentarily and there was nothing he could do.

_'Will this be the end of me? What will happen to me? Sigh... I'm sorry for not being able to keep my promise. Hope you will find peace someday.'_ Harry closed his eyes. He was ready to accept his fate.

Moments later, his consciousness left him.

The very last image in his mind was of the blonde-haired girl.

* * *

**A/N: And so Harry's summer begins. Everything is going smoothly for him for the first week even if there is a minor setback in trying to claim his family vault and properties. His skills are coming off well with better control in his magic, a greater repertoire in spells and better usage of wandless magic. Now he is going to be incorporating close combat as well! That combined with his natural shadow and fire affinity will definitely make him a great dueller and someone not to be messed around with. **

**But who is that person who tried kidnapping him? And for what reason? Even after he trained 'so hard' and in the right way, he was overpowered totally. Is this the scenario that might occurred when he face Voldemort too?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

**A/N: A short chapter but an important one nevertheless. ****Anyway, I want to thank all of you out there who clicked on that review button and leaving a comment for this story. I understand that my English is not as good as the many writers out there. It is not my native language in case any of you are wondering about it. I am still trying hard to correct the nuances in grammatical usage especially that of the tenses and phrasal verbs but the culture here in my country is making is very hard to do so, especially when most people speak and utilise a 'grammatically incorrect' English. **

**So just a point to take note. If any of the sentences seem illogical to you, just point it out to me and I will gladly improve on it. You could count it as a two-way learning process as well. Thanks :)**

**And just to answer some questions:**

**To the Guest out there who commented on 'the blond girl overpowering Harry', there is without a doubt who she is. Harry may seem to be an aloof and cold person but there is only a 'blonde girl' who is important to him for being his friend. **

**Nicol: I don't really deny what you're saying. But where would the fun be if we don't add in some 'sluttishness'? That's what most anime and manga do for some minor entertainment.**

**Pheonixs1518 and Penny is wise: Cookies for you two. **

**FreeTraderBeowolf: Certainly Lord Greengrass is someone who would try to force Harry into going with his ideal plan. But he is more of a politician than a combatant. He would use subtlety, misdirection and words to blackmail Harry into his servitude instead of kidnapping.**

**sanbeegoldiewhitey: I might just introduce a lawyer for Harry! Thanks for that idea!**

**To the rest of the reviewers, thanks once again! Enjoy!**

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Chapter 15

Blue and white. That was what filled his vision when Harry woke up. The next thought that came to mind was that this was an unfamiliar place, different from the dark and plain room he had always slept in. His eyes began widening as he tried recalling what exactly happened yesterday.

An assailant tried kidnapping him in his room, leading to a loss in the duel. He was overpowered so much so that his prized shadow abilities were negated totally. Then the flash of red came. Harry could not recall anything after that which probably meant that the red spell was the cause of his current predicament.

_'Am I dead?'_ Harry mused as he tried blinking and moving his appendages. The bed he was lying on was firm and soft at the same time. _'Is this heaven?'_

The next instinctive movement he made was to search for the one and only possession he had which was worth so much more than anything else – his wand. Yet he could not find it and that definitely meant that he was dead. He felt kind of disappointed that he died so young without accomplishing anything in his life.

Then, the door opened. A man with white hair came walking in. His back was ramrod straight and accompanying him was an air of regal, that of a supreme being. Presumably, he must be an angel, coming to call down judgement on young Harry. But there was some familiarity with this old man.

"So you are awake. How are you feeling?"

Harry groaned. "Like being hit by a truck. My head hurts." That was true. He had begun with an intense cognitive process the moment he woke up, trying to recall the events in the past, eventually resulting in such a splitting headache.

"Am I dead? Are you the one who is going to call down judgement on me?" Harry asked dejectedly, before finishing the statement with a whisper more to himself. "But somehow... you look familiar..."

A small parting of lip was seen on him. He came over by Harry's bedside and with a wand, a spell was cast silently as he waved it over his body.

Harry was puzzled. _'When do supreme beings use wand?'_

It was but a moment later that everything came striking at him. The person beside him was the assailant! That meant he was not dead unless the kidnapper suicide and decided to join Harry in heaven!

'_Kidnap...? Of course! The red spell must be a stunner!'_ Harry could only shake his head at his own stupidity.

A chuckle was heard. "So you finally realised that you are very much alive, Mister Potter?"

Harry turned towards the old man with a frown. "How do you know my name and why did you kidnap me? Where is my wand and where am I exactly?" He bombarded him with questions without any subtlety. There were no reasons to be subtle since he was being kidnapped and there was no way he could escape unscathed.

The old man had a chortle. It seemed to Harry the old man was enjoying how blind-sided he was now. Harry hated the feeling of being powerless and not having any information at all. That was when he felt weakest of all. Try as he might though, nothing within his mind could enlighten him on what resulted into the state he was now.

"Isn't it obvious I know who you are? I came to kidnap you for a reason. Why you? You have something that belong to me. Can you guess what it is?"

Harry looked away from him. The old man had some kind of overbearing presence that Harry could not hope to ever achieve. There was the immense pressure he felt just by looking into his eyes. Thus, he began searching through his mind. Closing his eyes, he went into a meditative state and entered his mindscape.

_'What did I ever do to incur the wrath of such a powerful wizard? Think... I know that I kept my covers up all the way in Hogwarts. No students were ever suspicious of me knowing more than I let out other than Daphne. But I trust her not to ever betray me by ratting out on me. She even told me that her father had wanted her to gather information and befriend Harry. That was the ultimate sign that she will not do rat out on me. Hmm...'_

_'What are the more significant events I had in Hogwarts? Morning exercise? Nah... I don't remember sensing anyone nearby. Troll incident? I believe my cover was quite good. Training group between Tracey and Zabini? Now that's suspicious but nothing to do with an object... Wait... An object...? Is it...?'_

Harry heaved in a deep breath. Everything matched the last hypothesis. Extremely old man, check. Powerful and regal, check. Something in his possession was now in Harry's hand, check. There could only be one possibility out of all this. Even though he wanted to keep it, he knew now that it was really too good to be true.

"Are you... Nicholas Flamel?"

He smiled and nodded.

Harry covered his face with embarrassment. Standing before he was someone living for a few centuries or so. There was of course no reason at all for Harry ever having enough power to win him in a duel. He felt much better now that he knew he lost to a 'supreme being' and that his shadow affinities were still useful on most, if not all wizards and maybe magical creatures alike. It made sense for HIM to know where exactly or who took HIS stone. The Philosopher's Stone was his creation after all and without a doubt, there was no way any rational person would give it away without having a way to track where exactly it was.

_'Oh well... Pity indeed.'_ Harry sighed. "I'll return the stone as soon as I could get to my trunk back at the place you kidnapped me at."

The old man narrowed his eyes at Harry's words. "What were you planning to use the stone for?" he demanded.

"Well..."

"Truth." That one word with a stare was enough to prevent Harry from crafting any half-lie. He was not a master Occlumens yet and if his answers did not satisfy the integrity factor, his life was void since he knew the old man could force an answer out of his mind any time.

"I wasn't really planning to use it... I didn't even know what exactly the stone was before I found out from my friend. I was just hoping that it might be able to serve some purpose in the future when I need it..." Harry answered sincerely. He had laid bare the truth in his answer in a bid to avoid any conflict with the 'supreme being' in front of him. "But if you need it back sir, by all means. I just chanced upon it."

Nicholas gave a smile. He could see that this boy was really speaking the truth and that he was not looking for immortality. It would be scary if such a young child was already trying to seek and avoid death. Imagine what he might turn out to be in the future.

Even so, Albus did give his words that the protection and runic charms behind the mirror was as such that only those who did not want to use the stone nor want to seek immortality would be able to retrieve it. When he heard that the stone was destroyed from the fight between The Longbottom kid and Voldemort's possession, he knew then that someone else had it because he and his wife had not died yet.

That was one of the few drawbacks he made when creating the stone. He linked the magical core of his and his wife to the stone such that one could not survive without the other. It was a vain attempt in ensuring the existence of his most prized creation did not fall into the hands of the enemy because of this kill-switch he made. When he died, the stone would self-destruct.

That was why Nicholas knew the stone must be in another person's hand. With a basic spell, he could reveal the location of the stone since it was paired to his magical core as well, leading him to Harry.

"Harry, I want to say thank you before any other thing."

Seeing his confused looks, Nicholas gave him a basic information on the charm he made on the stone. Initially, he thought he was ready to pass on to the next adventure in life and thus, allowed Albus to have the stone as a form of lure for his own purpose. But now that he was given another chance, he would not misuse of the opportunity.

Nicholas continued, "I wanted to go on a trip around the world with my wife before dying. Somehow, we were persuaded to give that choice up when hearing young Albus needing our help once again. That was the reason we gave in to his request."

Hearing that, Harry have him a puzzled look. "But why would you endanger the lives of students willingly?"

"Say that again?"

Harry cleared his throat. "Dumbledore procured a plan WITHIN Hogwarts to trap the suspected thief and mentioned its locality to the entire school during the first day. It was also a bunch of first years who went after the stone. Don't you feel guilty at that?"

Nicholas snorted. "Such things don't matter to us any longer. Having lived for over six centuries, we had already washed our hands off any matters regarding the Wizarding world."

"Why? Don't you want to help the others...? Unless you love seeing people die and children become orphans." Harry shook his head in disappointment. He was about to continue on his rant before he was cut off by an immense pressure within the room that made Harry fear for his life. This was the power of Nicholas Flamel. Why did he have to let his mouth take control of his brains like he was young again?

"DO NOT CONTINUE! You have no rights to say that child. You who have barely lived past a decade and have not even seen the horror a war could bring." He shouted out indignantly, a fire seen in his eyes. "Were I to barge into matters of your world, it could bring about disastrous consequences out of the each of your pitiful mind. I will have you know that..."

As he shouted out, his magical power became more furious and uncontrollable. Being within it made Harry feel like he was suffocating from a thick air pressure, pressing against his body, his lungs and his heart. He was blacking out due to the lack of sufficient oxygen entering his lungs.

Seconds later, the pressure disappeared. Harry's immediate reaction was to heave in deep bouts of breath to regain the much needed oxygen in order to prevent him from fainting.

"I'm sorry for that... It appears that we've barely had anyone saying such things to us for ages that I lost control of myself..."

Looking up weakly, Harry saw an old lady behind Nicholas hugging and comforting him. She, like him had a regal beauty accompanying her presence. It certainly felt great to have a companion whom he could spend his life with. Merlin knows how Nicholas could even have the willpower to continue living on when he was all by himself.

"It's fine... I apologize for losing my tact..." Harry felt disappointed at his loss of control once again. Coming to terms that he was now in an unknown territory with someone who had greater power than him had in fact scare him very much. With his half-trained Occlumency, he still had not been able to control his emotions totally against Nicholas Flamel who overwhelmed him with knowledge and power alike.

"Dear, don't worry too much. As Nicholas here said previously, we rarely have any visitors telling us off on that matter. You're not the first though but because it's been ages since we last had someone accusing us of not helping the world, he couldn't really control his temper. I'm Perenelle Flamel by the way."

She gave a chaste kiss. "Dear, control yourself. If not you will know what will happen to you. He is our guest."

"Of course of course!" He muttered nervously before watching his beautiful wife leave the room. Once they were alone again, he turned towards Harry, planning to explain it from his point of view clearly this time.

"You see, there was once when we were still quite young, at around two centuries old..." Harry deadpanned, earning a chuckle from Nicholas. "Anyway, we tried interfering into your world's business by killing off a dark lord that time. People celebrated and thanked us for what we have done. Yet the problem came after the liberation of Magical Britain. The Ministry, Hogwarts, lords and ladies, wizards and witches from all over came over to ask us to let them be out apprentices. Of course we rejected. We would like our lives to be in our grasp as well and for us to be free to do what we want."

"It was then the ministry gave a decree forcing us to take upon a few apprentices. We did not like it of course and had a great debate in the Wizengamot. Eventually, Penny and I could not take it any longer. The constant spying on us and all the political bullshit were making us crazy. And it all began because of the dark lord."

"So you see, ever since then, we would not ever put out hands into the matters of your world any longer. We had enough of it."

Harry could understand with him. If he were ever to become a celebrity, he would not be able to hide his life. People would constantly make friends with him for the sake of jumping on his fame. Celebrity would garner him much spotlight that any and everything he did would be judge upon by the world. There was a reason why he loved being the average Joe after all. He did not have to care about the others. Whatever he loved to do, he would just do it. Nobody recognized him after all.

"I see..."

Nicholas had his hand on his goatee now and was in a thinking mood. Somehow Harry knew what he wanted to ask. Those questions were parallel to his as well. Now that all the doubts were cleared and the threat on his life was gone, he could think clearly back to the questions he had for this hexa-centurion.

Harry decided to ask his question first. "How did you force me out that night from my shadows?"

Nicholas smirked. "I knew that was going to be what you asked first. It was a simple summoning spell, _Accio_."

Harry was dumbfounded. "Wait... You mean you broke through dimensions by summoning me?" Inwardly, he was thinking how much trouble he would have if he had such a glaring weakness.

"Oh? So your shadow abilities allow you to jump into another dimension altogether?" Harry nodded.

"Don't worry then Mister Potter. _Accio_ apparently can't summon things cross dimensional. It would break all laws of magic were it to work. Say, I could just summon the demon lord from hell just by casting that but do you see it work?"

Harry gave a grin. "That I wouldn't know. With magic, nothing is impossible, sir."

Nicholas gave a nod. "That you are correct. Even after studying for so long, I've not yet uncover the full extent as to the mystery behind magic. Magic could grant us power to kill and to heal. And you Harry, is an abnormality. Turn around."

Harry was curious but he heeded to his request. There was no harm done to that anyway. Nicholas then plucked the top of his shirt, pulling it down by a bit.

"You are marked. That's the reason for your shadow and fire affinities. Higher being is at work here Mister Potter."

Harry was aghast. He had not even known of such a mark on his body. But it could not be blamed on his lack of observation since that particular mark was right behind his back in a place that required at least two mirrors to be seen. Even so, Harry was not particular about his appearance and thus, did not really care about standing in front of a mirror and trying to see his back. "When did it happen? Will it bring about any costs to me?"

Nicholas let go of his shirt, letting Harry turn around to face him. He paced about the room, face scrunched in concentration.

"I can only say that it is most likely on the day you survived the Fiendfyre. Who or what mark you? I've no idea. But judging from the symbol on the back, I can only say that it resembles a black Phoenix or more specifically, a midnight Phoenix."

Harry's mind went overdrive after hearing this. He had been trying hard figuring why he survived the Fiendfyre and even if what Nicholas said was just a hypothesis, it was the closest to the truth. He needed to find out more about this mark. The skills given to him were a blessing but Harry was a firm believer in that there was no free lunch in the world. Yet the idea that Nicholas Flamel with all his years of living not knowing what it was did not being much hope in him ever finding anything about the mark.

"So..."

"I've decided Harry." Nicholas looked at Harry whom gestured him to continue his sentence. "The least we could do for you is to provide you with two things. Consider it a thanks for returning the stone to us."

He went out of the room without waiting for Harry to reply. Harry was now just resting on the bed, thinking how lucky he was to escape death from an assailant. But it meant he needed more training and maybe... He could try asking Nicholas Flamel for help.

When the old man came back, he passed Harry a book on fire elementalism. It was really old. As for the second gift, it was a small tube filled with a red liquid that was glowing.

"This book on how fire element is a very basic introductory book for you. Although nowadays we rarely find any Elementalists in the world, back in the past, there were a few fire Elementalists I met. I would like you to have this book seeing that it wouldn't do me any good since I don't have much control over fire. After all, I'm a cool and calm person and fire doesn't suit me."

Silence. Harry deadpanned earning a cough from the old man.

"Well... Anyway back to the matter. I've already gotten back the stone from your trunk."

More silence.

"To answer your question, yes I can overcome the simple ward on it. But don't worry, I didn't touch any of your other belonging. Now as to the second gift, this is an elixir of life. It could extend your lifespan by a decade or it could be used during emergency. I hope you will make good use of it."

Harry sighed. Things were indeed too good to be true. Having such a powerful artefact within his hands were just a dream after all. But at least he had something and that was better than nothing right?

"Thank you sir." Harry sat on the bed now that he felt well-rested. "By the way, is it possible for me to request you to train me in any form of magic?"

"No." was his instant answer. "I've decided to wash my hands off all matters and this includes that as well."

Another sigh. "Could you at least point me in some direction to a master Legilimens and Occlumens to tutor me?" That was his current priority. As to other forms of magic, he could more or less train on them himself. Occlumency required a master still for him to improve on it.

To his amazement, it was accepted. Nicholas Flamel contacted a friend of his and told Harry that he would be coming to his room in order to form a contract and tutor him on that subject. Harry was thankful on that note.

Getting the stone certainly was the right decision and now that all this mess was over, he was back. This time, Harry would be concentrating on really training up his combat abilities. He did not want to ever be backed up into such a corner ever again.

Harry would show the world his prowess and that he was never ever to be messed with.

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**A/N: As I said before, a short but important chapter. Harry gave back the stone but got the elixir of life, book on fire elementalism and a teacher in Occlumency in return. His shadow manipulation is not OP and could any time be overcome ESP. if he go against Voldemort now. **

**Next chapter, we will be seeing Daphne as she reached home.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: And so... I've finally broken the 100k words mark!**

**Some answers to questions asked:**

**Penny is wise: Nicholas Flamel did say that he did not care about the stuff within the Magical World. But Dumbledore is their most prominent connection now to that world. Since he was his apprentice, he gave the stone to him as the last bid of help for his plan in trapping Voldemort. It was more of a whimsical decision. The Flamels had lived for six centuries long and you would have to agree that having lived for years, they would get kind of sick with life. Thus, due to the suddenness of the circumstances when Dumbledore asked for the stone, they agreed. If you remember reading part of chapter 15, you'll see the part where the Flamels did regret giving the stone once it was gone. So I say it was more of a careless decision.**

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Chapter 16

**Warning: Minor dark scenes ahead. Just thought you all ought to know about that.**

Daphne felt agitated and bitter. She was being picked up by her mother from King Cross Station back home. The very thought of going back to her 'home' to spend her summer was agonising since she could not see and talk to Harry and Tracey for months. That and Daphne had to put up with her family whom had somehow become estranged from her.

Initially when she left for Hogwarts, Daphne thought that she would miss home because of Astoria, yet the festive seasons showed otherwise. Getting a reply from Astoria stating that her marriage contract with the heir of Malfoy was requested just made things worse. It was hurtful knowing that the boisterous, happy-go-lucky girl Daphne came to love was no more.

With a crack, they apparated back to the Greengrass estate, and the start of her most torturous three months ever.

When she entered her house, she was greeted by Tippy, her house elf and Amethyst, the master house elf.

"Lady Greengrass, Heiress Greengrass" They greeted with a bow, which were acknowledged. Daphne then rushed back to her room without glancing back after that. She did not want to spend any time outside of her private space for there might be a chance of meeting her accursed father. For now, she would just spend her time on bed, thinking through what she would be doing for this summer and to get an answer to exactly why Astoria was acting like this.

It still felt really weird for someone to change personality just in a short span of three months, from the day she left for Hogwarts to the day she came back for Christmas. Daphne clearly remembered Astoria hugged her and asked for her to share stories on Hogwarts during Christmas. They parted off on a high note.

Yet the thoughts of possibilities in the use of potion came back to her mind. Her father told her that the past ten years was a lie for her and what did he mean by that statement?

Was it a spiteful potion towards Daphne? But that meant Astoria would still love mother as was seen by the past few years. However, she could see that her mother was not being treated with love. Instead, her mother was being treated like a slave! It was like her father had possessed her sister's body and locked the spirit up somewhere. Even until today, Daphne hated her mother for not going against her father for various matters but she was still the one who gave birthed to Daphne and brought her up with care and concern even if it was not shown openly. That innate human desire towards filial piety was still present in Daphne. Hence, this possibility was out.

What about a potion that induced hatred for everyone other than the brewer of such potion – her father? It would be a better hypothesis for Astoria did treat family excluding her father and including the house elves like they were beneath her. Yet again, Malfoy came into picture. Daphne highly doubted her father would poison Astoria with such a strong concoction since that could bring undesirable consequences the moment Astoria had to enter anywhere public.

In the midst of thinking, Daphne decided to try and brainstorm for all outrageous idea. That way, she could have conclusive evidence and not worry unduly over such matters anymore. Were she to find out that her sister was doing it out of her own will, Daphne would be able to wash her hands off all matters regarding family. It would bring less trouble and mind-boggling questions.

Knowing her father, it could even be possible that Astoria had been poisoned with a mild love potion for the past ten years instead. That allowed for more agreement behind the requirements for her hypothesis to be correct. The moment Daphne left for Hogwarts, her father stop with the potions, bringing out her sister's true self. It certainly justified what her father meant by her entire life being a lie. This was one of the closest possibility to the truth.

Yet when Daphne checked with Tippy, she got back that the meals were clean for the past ten years. Tippy felt so accused by her mistress that she almost knocked her head on the table to punish herself. Fortunately, an order and apology by Daphne were all it took to calm Tippy down and make her happy that she had such a kind and loving mistress.

It was really fortunate Daphne had so much time for herself. Her father did not call for her into the study room for any 'interrogation'. That made Daphne happier since she did not have to put up with him. With all the free time in the world, Daphne decided to do what she did best – researching in the library cum gathering knowledge, especially on potions her favourite subject.

Spending an entire day cooped up in the room did wonders to her body. Stretching her arms brought about sounds of popping as her muscles were strained and fatigued from all the 'stationary exercise'. At least today's research session was productive in her opinion.

From the books, she found out one of the most important detail she had totally missed out on – users under the effects of potions would have a slightly glazed look, similar to that of someone being _Imperio-ed_ and not of a sentient being.

That small detail by itself was an extremely important evidence to finding out the entire affair behind Astoria. For now, she would just pen down all her notes on a book. There was still much observation needed as Harry always loved to do.

"Observe and deduce." Daphne smiled as she thought back over her memories fondly. That green-eyed boy was the most mysterious person ever with so much secrets, and that was one thing Daphne loved about him – to slowly uncover all the mysteries behind his life.

Initially, Daphne fell hard, really hard for Harry. It was a crush though unrequited. It could not be blamed on him since girls undergo puberty earlier than boys and that he was a sociopath all because of those relatives of his. Just like her, Harry did not have a happy childhood. So missing out on all those fairy tales and friends, he did not know what exactly it means to be in love.

Romance was not part of his life's desire currently as seem by how hard he trained and read for more knowledge. But Daphne would wait as his friend. She did not know if this was love since like him, she only knew of a small part in relationships through books and her best friend Tracey. It was fortunate though that now, Tracey was not gearing after him anymore. That meant Daphne would have plenty of time to wait until the day he knew that she had been waiting for him. And then, he would be so touched and in love with Daphne. He would lean in and give her a searing kiss that would melt her whole body.

* * *

Ache. Her neck was stiff. Slowly, Daphne raised her head up as she looked at the surroundings wondering why it was not of the usual green her room was. Then, the needles came piercing through her arms. She cringed at that feeling, which overloaded her receptors, transmitting a signal to her brain that it was time to wake up.

Blinking rapidly a few times, Daphne finally realised she fell asleep in the library. This was the first time she did so even though she had vividly remembered a few similar occurrences in the past where her last memory ended in the library yet she woke up in her bed. Something was different from usual, not that it alarmed Daphne. Her relationship with 'The family of Greengrass' (considering that she did not feel like she belonged within) was turning sour really fast in just over two periods of her absence.

She had skipped dinner yesterday. Nobody came calling for her. Most likely, it was an order passed down by her father telling the house elves not to concern his eldest daughter when this was what she wanted. A grimace was seen on her face. Her stomach growled with hunger. Where was her house elf when she need her?

"Tippy!"

A pop was heard.

"Mistress Daphne! I'm so sorry." She banged her head on the floor of the library, creating reverberation within the enclosed room of books. Daphne decided to let her punish herself, before stopping her to get answers.

"Did father tell you not to come to me when I didn't ask?"

A timid nod and the dropping of her ears were the reply. "M-Master Greengrass t-threatened Tippy. If she went to i-inform Mistress..."

Tippy did not complete her sentence. Daphne saw the conspicuous marks of lashes on her house elf. Clenching her fist, she wanted to curse her father for what she did even to her house elf. This was cruel and unjust. Daphne wanted to comfort Tippy but she controlled herself. Having lived here for the past eleven years, it would not bring any good outcome if Daphne treated Tippy like a human. Her father was the cause and harbinger of all these drastic regulations within the House.

With a sigh, Daphne resigned to fate. "Can you bring me breakfast? Make it a bigger portion since I missed dinner last night."

"Yes mistress! That Tippy can do! Thank you for ordering me to help you!" And she was gone.

A very big headache was forming even before the day started. But there was one thing that went well at least – she would not have to participate in those 'family dinners' where she had to be in the presence of her father and now, her sister. She could at least consider her mother to be more of a family since she did try to ignore Daphne instead of following her father's orders to go against Daphne just like what Astoria was doing. Or maybe it was just her character? She would not know the answer behind.

After a sumptuous breakfast, it was time for the observation game to begin. It was really far-sighted of Harry to lend her this item, trusting that she would need it more than he did. Taking out the invisibility cloak, she pulled it over her and went out of the library in search of her target.

From what Harry told her, this very invisibility cloak was passed down from his ancestors. Having lived in Magical Britain for a decade, Daphne knew that generally, the average shelf-life of an invisibility cloak manufactured was about five to six years. Yet this cloak had allegedly survived through many years of usage. She could conclude sufficiently that this must be one of the three Deathly Hallows she heard of in The Tales of Beetle the Bard. It would mean that under this cloak, she could technically hide from death itself, making it one of the most useful tool for spying. She trusted in this cloak to hide from any wards, house elves and her father from finding out where she was. That was a calculated risk she willingly took after knowing the minimised chance of being found out.

Opening the door, Daphne exited the library in search of Astoria. Common sense directed her in the direction of the dining room, which was rewarded by the sight of her sister heading back towards her room. From her view point, Astoria looked different. The previous time during the festive seasons when she looked at her sister was rushed. But now that her feelings were not as chaotic as before and with the awareness of simple signs a person would show if she was under the effects of potions, she could see and observe that there was a sharp look in her sister's eyes – proving that what her father said was right. Astoria was most certainly not under the influence of potion. Without Daphne's presence, her sister had the haughty and arrogant look etched, as if everyone was beneath her. It was akin to that of Malfoy.

The change was so drastic and frightening.

Following her, she arrived outside Astoria's room. It was fortunate she did not plan on closing the door, more likely out of carelessness on her part. Astoria was never a very meticulous and detailed person unlike her father. She did not think in the otherworldly possibilities of Daphne spying at her unseen from the naked eyes. Thus, Daphne used this chance to look into the room. It seemed quite different yet same as before. The most noticeable change was the colour of the wallpaper – from the previous white to dark green, creating a gloomy and 'Slytherin' feeling. The arrangement of her bed, cabinet and desk remained as it was before the fall-out between the siblings.

On the desk, there was one particular photo placed within a frame that brought back fond memories. It was of the two of them, smiling happily as they played with each other.

_'Maybe all isn't lost yet... There are still many potions out there in the world I haven't discovered. Hopefully, I can bring back the old happy-go-lucky Tori...'_ She was desperate for answers once again that the simple affirmed idea of potions not being used in influencing her sister slipped off her mind. Just then, a popping sound was heard.

"Mistress Astoria, Master is calling for you."

Astoria did not acknowledge the elf. She continued with her work for a while longer before walking out of the room, ignoring the elf totally. Somehow, the feeling Daphne got from the entire scene was that the house elf did not deserve an answer since 'it' was a slave to her sister. That certainly brought a tightening feeling in Daphne's chest. Things were getting more and more complicated.

_'Exactly what is going on here...?' _Daphne's feelings were so mixed that she did not know whether to love or hate her sister still. The evidences were paradoxical in nature.

They headed towards the study room with Daphne following closely behind. She was quite light on feet, and that came from years of practice. This was not the first time Daphne had tried to listen on the conversation between her father and some other important person.

As Astoria entered the study room, Daphne stayed outside just behind the wall. That provided a form of escape should her father made any noise. It was a double lucky day for her since her father did not close the door. Somehow, it was as if he was expecting his eldest daughter to be listening onto their conversation and her father was using this father-daughter talk to lure her into a trap. But likewise, Daphne would not give up on this opportunity to hear more since she had an invisibility cloak over her.

"Father, you called for me?" Astoria asked sweetly. Her father gave her a pat on the head and a smile. He looked so different from usual. Daphne would have thought that he would be strict to Astoria as well. That was showed otherwise by the relationship and treatment as seen.

"Yes Tori. How's your sister?"

"Don't call her my sister. You know how much I hate her," she sneered back with contempt. Daphne felt hurt from that action. Words certainly hurt her more than any physical actions.

"Astoria," her father warned her. "She is still the heiress of the House and your sister by blood."

"Sorry father." She lowered her head in shame. "She had not returned from the library since yesterday afternoon. Her room is empty ever since. I bet that she is still there."

Their father leaned backwards on the chair, contemplating over her words. "Well... She's still denying over the fact that you weren't poisoned in the mind by me."

Astoria laughed wickedly at that. "How quaint. I thought she was always the intelligent one between us two."

'_Oh… How little do both of you know. I'm actually here listening to your conversations. Potions are definitely out. I must be objective and not let my feelings for Astoria affect my perspective.'_ Daphne mused.

Her father chuckled. "She will get around once the time comes. Come and give father a hug for a job well done."

_'A job...? That sounds real suspicious... Surveillance on me?'_

Astoria smiled and hopped out of the seat before running into the arms of her father. As much as Daphne would deny, she felt jealous at the affection shown. There was not a clear and distinct memory she had of father's love, and right now in front of her, he proved that he was not a heartless bastard. Maybe this was the motivational factor behind why Astoria was treating her with animosity – parental love. Maybe their mother was showing care and concern for Astoria as well behind Daphne's back.

Her sister stayed within the arms of her father as his fingers went through her hair, making her euphoric. "Father... That feels nice."

"Well my dear Tori, you'll always be the one for me."

She jumped onto his lap and leaned back onto his chest as he embraced his daughter. "Well... I love you too father!"

Daphne felt even more depressed from watching that moment. A small part of her heart still yearn for parental love even after so many years of mistreatment. But that was just the child in her heart that had not grown up yet.

"Hn. Now all we have to do is wait. Make sure you seduce the Malfoy heir well. I heard that he is a dunce. After using you, he'll just throw you aside like Lucius did to Narcissa."

She smirked. "Father, don't worry much. I won't be giving my virginity to him so soon. I'll just use this body of mine to tempt him into fulfilling my desire."

_'So she isn't that stupid either... Guess my worry is unfounded. I hope Malfoy gets what he deserved.'_

"I trust you. Now all we have to do is wait for your dear sister to bring that Potter boy to our side. She reminds me of your mother. So pure and lovely..."

Astoria pouted. "Do you rather have Daphne than me?"

"Of course not." He continued stroking her hair lovingly. "You'll always be the first in my heart, unlike Annabel..."

At her name, the expressions on Astoria and her father turned dark. Apparently, both of them hated mother. Daphne had overheard the reason why their father became a different man after Astoria was born in the past – because she could not give birth to an heir. It was extremely foolish in her opinion though she could not blame her mother for choosing the wrong man since they wed under a marriage contract.

Born as a female, she would be forever looked down upon by the 'creature' known as man. But there were exceptions of course. Her friends Blaise and Harry treated Tracey and her much better than others like Malfoy and Weasley. She was lucky to have them as friends.

It was fortunate her father had looked upon her to bring Harry into their family. Since that was the case, she need not worry about having a marriage contract formed. Harry had become her protector somehow without him knowing.

"But I'd like to say that Daphne reminds me of Anna... It's a pity that she had to grow up becoming like her mother, unlike you my Tori."

Astoria tilted her head. "Why did you let Annabel influence her then?"

He smirked back. This was the moment Daphne had been waiting for.

"I wouldn't want to have two daughters growing up becoming like me. That would alienate the relation between us. Imagine two of you in a shadow game, trying to gain more influence and power. That would be... burdensome."

Daphne took a step back. Guessing and knowing were two different matters. Her father had planned for this ever since she was born? That was just... she did not know what to think about it. But at the point in time, she made a muffled sound when she stepped back, drawing the attention of the occupants within the room.

"Father... Now that I notice, why didn't you close the door? Aren't you afraid that Daphne might be spying on us?"

"Tori Tori Tori... You still have much to learn. I intended to lure her here to listen to our speech. You think too low of me." He shook his head. "Were she to be present within the hearing range of our conversation, I would know. Currently, she's nowhere to be found."

Astoria giggled. "You are so evil!"

"You have much to learn in order to take over the business from me. Hopefully by then, your sister will have reined in Potter into the family. After that, we'll be able to have some fun together."

"Of course father."

"Hopefully you'll have some good news on Daphne the next time we meet. For now though, go and close the door. If you did a good job today, I'll reward you with more wishes."

She gave another giggle before running towards the door, closing it before heading back. By now, Daphne had a vague answer on what her father was planning. Though why did they have to suddenly close the door? What job was he asking of her sister?

Placing her ears on the wall, Daphne heard a very faint sound of sucking and moans. Her face turned white instantly. She did not expect this at all. It totally blew her mind.

_'What in Merlin's world is going on here...? Tori and father...? Oh no... This isn't good at all...'_

Hyperventilating, she slowly traversed back to her room, carefully trying hard not to knock into anything. Once back in her room, she closed the door immediately before falling onto her bed. Things were not good at all. The truth was very ugly but she did not mind knowing since her entire life was being thrown into the pit with her father controlling it like a marionette on strings.

_'Okay. Let's see... I need to calm myself down and take note of all of what I've heard. I need to get a general and clear picture of the entire scene.'_

Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down. With a quill and a book, she jotted down her thoughts and conclusive statements in a diagram to see where the entire thing led to.

_-Astoria and father hate mother. Father hates mother for being unable to give birth to an heir. Why does Astoria hate mother then?_

_-Astoria hates me because I'm better than her in terms of intelligence, skill and emotional control. But that is normal between siblings. The current hatred is several magnitude stronger. Why?_

_-Astoria do not love Malfoy. According to the letter, she is the one who asked for the contract. Is it really to usurp power from them? Did she request the contract as a way to please father? Note: She is willing to use her body in order to get what she wants from Malfoy. _

_-Father pointed out that I am similar to mother. Uses the word pure and lovely. Suspicious._

_-Father did not influence me because of the need for only one person to be power-hungry. Likely that he is training her to become the heiress instead. _

_-The odd sounds and job at the end - Inferred to be of highly sexual activities. _

_-Astoria is not poisoned. She is totally conscious of her words. Likely that this is her usual behaviour. Can't be saved. (More likely because I wash my hands off her matter for what she said about me) Must steel myself._

_-Father wanted me to bring in Harry to the family for power and wealth. Fun together? What did he mean by that? _

_-More wishes? Astoria is following father because of the attraction to wish, power and/or money?_

All in all, there were still many questions unanswered. But Daphne could directly and indirectly infer some answers from the statements jotted down. At least now that the words were on a piece of paper, she had a clearer picture of the entire affair. The most worrying part was still the 'sexual' relation between Astoria and her father. Did that mean there is incest in the family? She shuddered. No way would she ever give her body, heart and soul to that monster who controlled her life.

Thinking along the lines of an incestuous relationship, she could plug in the holes for many questions. For instance, Astoria hated mother because she actually wanted father all to herself in a sexual type of relation. Astoria hated Daphne because of jealousy that her father saw much more in her than her sister. "Fun together" and wishes could have an answer along the same school of thought. The more she thought, the more screwed up her family was.

Was this how her mother was feeling? Was it because her father 'loved' her more than her mother that brought about an estranged relationship between them? Was Astoria currently being used or did their father sincerely 'love' her in more than a father-daughter kind of way?

Seriously, how could such a thing happen? She needed to really prepare in case of unforeseen circumstances – her father taking advantage of her. Although within the pureblood society in Magical Britain, incest was taken with a pinch of salt due to the lack of pureblood within society, Daphne did not subscribe to such ideology.

Regardless, she needed someone to talk to right now. There was no way she would use the Floo network since it was monitored by her father. Sending a letter was the only way to get a message across. Seeing that the house elves were controlled by him as well, she would be using Hedwig.

The letter was done within moments. Yet the chance of her father intercepting that letter was highly possible. Daphne hesitated, before just gambling her luck. There was nothing of importance within the letter. She was not stupid to throw all the eggs within a single basket. Hidden within the simple message was a cry for help and Daphne knew that Harry would be able to see through it. She trusted in his abilities and observational skills. For now, the waiting game begins.

* * *

Days past with no reply given back. Her father did ask for her in the study room the next day after the letter was sent out. Apparently, he did not see through the message hidden within that simple block of text judging by the calm exterior he postulated to Daphne during the 'interrogation' session.

Questions were asked for more information behind Harry and her progress towards 'seducing' him into becoming her boyfriend. She answered with half-truths. Being a master Legilimens, he would definitely find out if she was lying and thus, the need for at least concealing her body language with truths and indirect answers. He was good with the questions but she was better at evasive manoeuvres. After all, it was well-known that the apprentice would surpass the master someday.

She did not give out any important information. Simple things like where he was living currently and if Harry was politically savvy were answered in simplicity. She told him of his home with his muggle relatives, affirming the old news. It was not a lie on her part just that things change. With such an answer, she could weave an elaborate 'truth' on her part with unassuming answers that the lack of experience brought about political ineptness on her friend's part. Those were enough to satisfy her father's urge for information now.

These days were mundane. Even reading and brewing potions did not provide much entertainment. Within her mind, questions were running amok. That was enough to stop Daphne from functioning at full capacity intellectually.

The needs and wants had somehow manifested in her dreams. Those green eyes appeared as if to mock her, to tell her the friendship between them was more of a dream than reality. She wanted to hit him, to scream at him for feigning into her trusting him with her secrets. But when morning came and the boy disappeared into the void, hope arose.

Yet hope for some form of escape brought about disappointment and despair as time passed. Yes... Daphne had indeed sent a letter with a simple ciphered message indicating she needed HIS help. Maybe she overestimated his capabilities? Nothing could be done even if that was so.

In the midst of reading and bereaving herself from joy with depressive thoughts, someone knocked on the door, indicating the arrivals of guests. As much as she wanted to just ignore them, customs and courtesy enforced by the master of the house could not be avoided. Jadedly, Daphne headed out of the library towards the door to greet the guests.

"Welcome Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy to the Ancient House of Greengrass," her father greeted.

Daphne was stunned. She had not expected them to come after all. Her mentality was all wrong as of now to face the Malfoy. She was at one of her weakest and most vulnerable moment in time. Once the etiquette was done, she headed back to her room, locked up within it. The family of Malfoy was one of the worst sorts of people she could face currently due to their use of semantics, bribery and condescending tones.

At that point in time, she heard some loud voices from beside her room. There were two people, one with a deeper tone.

"Oh Draco...! You know how much I miss you!"

"Dear Tori, you'll be seeing more of me this coming September. Hopefully, we'll be having lots of fun together. And there's your sister. She is choosing the wrong company to be with. It's up to you now to remind her of the fact."

Daphne scrunched her face in disgust. A giggle was heard.

"I could see from before the shock in her face. How remarkable. But just like you, her beauty is unmatchable."

"Oh...? So you'd rather have HER then?" A somewhat louder voice was heard this time, presumably Astoria being angry.

"Oh no no no! Tori, you'll know that my heart belongs with you. You're my fiancée after all!"

"Glad that you know. So... you wanna have a feel on this body...?"

There was a silent moment after that. Daphne could guess from those words the progression of events.

"Nah! You'll have to wait until I get older." A mocking tone.

"WHAT! You...! Imp!"

She giggled. "Maybe if you wait long enough, I don't mind sharing my sister with you. Don't you want that beautiful body with me as well...?"

A gasp was heard. "Of course my Tori. I will definitely wait. She'll be mine as well!" He laughed after that.

Daphne had heard enough. Those words coming from Malfoy Jr.'s mouth made her want to take a cold shower right now. But she managed to quench that desire since there might be some unwanted attention that could edge its way onto her when she least expected it during shower. After all, being locked in her room of her own will, nobody could come in and that was when she felt the safest... Or maybe not. If only Harry and Tracey were here with her, then things might be different.

Having nothing to do, she decided to once again analyse the words between Malfoy and her sister. There was no way Astoria did not know that she could hear her voice from across the room. Yet it was possible that the presence of Malfoy disturbed her from using her common sense. She was not the cleverest of person after all from what Daphne learned the past few years. A good actress but not the calculative and mastermind who thinks three steps ahead type of person.

It was along the lines of acting skills that brought to light the circumstances that came to be. Was it possible she had acted all these years to be a happy-go-lucky person? Come to think of it, ten years were a really long time. Astoria was not the type to take prudence in every action as well. There must be a slip somewhere in the past ten years. Still, the more she thought of it, the more splitting an unusual pain came to her mind. No memories came up to match the requirements.

Just then, Tippy came by her room, informing that the Malfoy family would be staying for dinner. She felt furious. Was this an act from Malfoy telling her they would be part of the family from now on? Or was it her father's intention to wear her patience thin so she would be prone to mistakes?

Regardless of those facts, Daphne headed straight to the study-room. Hot-headed or not, she did not care about anything else. Daphne was at the tipping point now and what she wanted would be fulfilled. Damn her father. Damn the Malfoys. When will life ever be simple? Will peace ever come? Or will she turn rogue into somebody even more wicked than her father? Only time will tell...

* * *

**A/N: Hahaha... I wrote this chapter after watching the movie Mindscape or Anna. A sociopath and a trouble teenager due to childhood sexual traumas. In this case, Astoria is acting as such highly because of the influence by her father. The moment she could think for herself, her father was there teaching her to be 'friends' with Daphne. My version of Astoria is a master actress and a master seductress. Pity that she is only 11 this year, but even so, her mind is already broken and tuned to the frequency by her father.**

**That's the result. Electra complex with a pinch of need to pleasure her father so as to satisfy her wishes. To a child, his or her wants are very important. That is what her father made use of.**

**On the note of the Malfoy marriage, I did write that it was her childhood dream. Indeed, it is still currently her childhood dream but instead of gaining a 'prince charming', she is gaining a pawn and a stepping stone for her to gain power over him. **

**Anyway, the next chapter would not be coming so soon. I'm currently out of ideas. Inspirations and motivations are the two tough factors I've to face now. **

**Once again, thanks to all those reviewers out there! It's great to hear from you all.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

**A/N: At long last, I have finally found the motivation to finish this chapter. Motivation is really hard found nowadays for me. Staying at home for long periods of time does that to you - make you lazy and all. Anyway, within this chapter, you will find some explanation based on human Psychology. Psychology as an aspect of science has much points of contention as of yet to be proved otherwise. So regardless of whether you might agree or not with me, just take what I wrote with a pinch of salt. After all, I do not have a PHd in that particular subject. **

**SinOfDisaster: Point taken. I will take your idea into consideration. I have several thought bubbles on how I plan the story to flow but for now, I will just write it on the go. That is my style after all.**

**moonl337: Ah! That fanfiction is quite an interesting read with HP having TMR as his father. As of now, no lawyer is needed for his financial situation since his vault has yet to be touched by any outsiders. The goblins are enough as the first line of defense - to warn and alert HP should the need arises.**

**sanbeegoldiewhitey: I understand. I will just let the readers themselves use their imaginations to think of what they did to Astoria be it paedophilic or not. The fiction however is rated T and so for the sake of everyone else, you can just put it as mere hugging and nothing else. Pleasuring can always be done with words.**

**fhippogriff: Nah! She isn't evil. Astoria is more of a manipulative type as she learn from her father. And if you read on ahead, it's all in the mind.**

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Chapter 17

Astoria Greengrass, daughter of Cyrus and Annabel Greengrass, second daughter of the Ancient House of Greengrass and sister of Daphne Greengrass was not happy.

The brain is a very powerful matter that governs every single thought processes, actions as well as the five senses. For the wizards and witches, there exists a certain instruction within their genes that gave them a larger than usual magical core. This core is the reason for their capacity in performing extraordinary actions, like levitating an object or apparating from one place to another.

But what made these wizards and witches human was the fact that the brain existed within that skull in each and every one of them. The brain gave them a special consciousness, providing emotions, feelings and ability to think. Everyone born into the world from the mother's womb arrives as a clean slate. No judgement, no stereotypes, no prejudice exist within their mind.

Muggles have argued over ages on whether the characters and personalities of humans were based on the environment they grew up in or that they were based upon their parents' genetic codes. This argument of nature against nurture is at an impasse because there are merits in both sides.

As for Astoria, she was born into a family clean, pure and innocent. Yet the first thing that she saw as a baby, not that she remembered any of it, was her father arguing and hitting her mother. From then on, it became a usual sight in her life.

Her sister was there for her when she was lonely. Yet somehow, she did not feel much connections with Daphne. Daphne was different in the fact that she had that 'weird' emotional look of care and love towards her. However, Astoria did not know what it was. Somehow, the constant fighting between her parents had already been imbued into her sub-consciousness. An analogy to that – Astoria's resting mental state is black. The first thing she saw had been imprinted into her brain as the norm. Anything opposing to arguments and hatred must be bad. She emulated her parents for they were the ones who brought her into this world and thus, they must be right. As for her sister, that love and care she provided was the wrong thing since their parents did not show them any of those actions. Emulating her sister would thus be wrong since it was not the norm.

That short period of constant bickering had influenced Astoria more than any of the household members ever thought. Somehow, Astoria was drawn towards her father. It could be said that she had inherited his love for power and even at the succulent age of one, she knew subconsciously that her father was in power since nobody dared to hit him. As a result, that subconscious state within her mind began looking at him as a role model, and to differ from his actions would be the wrong thing.

It was at three years old when Astoria started to understand basic language. Her father seeing that began to teach her the importance on staying in power because only then would she benefit. Astoria vaguely understand what he taught. Due to her immaturity, she could not think for herself and make clear decision based on arguments yet. As such, she decided to just follow him. Nothing could go wrong. Her father also told her the importance of keeping a mask, not that she could understand. Even so, the seed had been planted within her head. Cyrus knew it was only a matter of time it would blossom into a beautiful flower, full of thorns to protect herself against others except him. He could see the start of a wonderful plan in making Astoria his and his alone.

By then, he kept himself away from Astoria, trying to ensure the family would not know of the seed he planted until the day it matures.

Thus, when the role model in her life was gone, Astoria decided to look for Daphne, the next person that appeared to be the most important in her life. Daphne was the one who taught her many stuff. She was the one who brought her up. Their mother was non-existent in their lives as her sister always said, and that Astoria should not ever be like her. That went without saying.

As a result of the positive emotions within her, she began to smile, to laugh and to form a new personality different from the previous, gloomy and power-hungry one. She became happy-go-lucky as that made her sister smiled with her. Thus, her brain did an auto-rewiring, turning her into that perfect sister Daphne loved and protected. Even so, it would always be the secondary personality within her.

It was moments during when she was seven years of age that made her primary personality re-surfaced again. She was on the way to find her father when she saw father reprimanding sister. That brought a jolt within her inner self, making her personality switch back to the primary one.

The next moment when her sister came and find her, she screamed at her to go away for she hated her very existence. Astoria thought that since father hated her sister, then she must hate Daphne as well. As illogical as it might be, as a child who saw her father as someone who could not be wrong, a new religion was formed which only Astoria was part of. It was then her father suddenly came back into her life, which she accepted happily.

However, instead of keeping her by his side, her father asked her to continue acting as before with Daphne, to revert back to her secondary personality. It was tough. There were plenty of moments when she had snapped back at her sister, wanting to not do anything with her for her very existence was just wrong. Nobody could be so loving and happy when she did not have power in her hands. Her father, however egged her to continue her act using the conditioning approach. He influenced Astoria by dangling carrots ahead on the path he wanted her to walk. As a result, she had come under his very beck and call due to the want for rewards and the need to impress the authority in her life. From then, Astoria found out she was a very good actress as a result.

Something was fishy as the days passed. Daphne still treated her as per usual. Astoria knew it was impossible for her to not be hurt from the 'pushing away' and the 'screaming' she had done to her. The truth came to light one day when she saw her father waving a wand over Daphne when she 'could not control her emotions'.

As a result of knowing that whatever she did to push Daphne away, she would never have any recollections of those memories, Astoria stopped throwing her temper. She did not want her father to help her once again in salvaging the cover and mask forged in deception. That had actually brought a reward by her father, lavishing her with wishes and love.

It was the turning point in her life. Annabel no longer existed as her mother. Her father did not deserve such weak lover. Astoria, herself would be the one replacing her and will one day stand beside her father as equals. She revered him in seeing how much control he had over his emotions and words. She was totally mesmerised and influenced into his grasp.

Thus came Daphne's first year at Hogwarts and the day when finally, she could drop her act according to her father. No more being a weak happy-go-lucky girl. No more talking and hugging with that poor sister of hers. Power and father were all that matters in her life. She would do anything to gain it.

When the festive seasons came, she showed Daphne the truth. Astoria herself was not someone to be protected. She was someone to be idolised and feared.

That revelation broke Daphne thoroughly, making her somewhat happy. Schadenfreude was to be savoured for it empowered her ego.

As a result of her splendid performance and act, her father decided to grant her a wish. What better than to make him happy and love her more? The best wish she could ever had was just that – simply making her father happy. So Astoria decided to ask for a marriage contract with Malfoy, knowing that would allow his plans for the future to succeed, and that immensely strengthen their relation.

Also came the secondary objective in the marriage – to learn the art of seduction and making the heir of Malfoy fall into her control. She would be using this as an opportunity to learn and to gain power, a win-win situation indeed.

All that finally led to the current situation where the Malfoy family came visiting their household. Draco as usual, was a disgusting git who looked at her body. She could see those eyes imagining how she would look like in the future, and that her body was his. How crude that was. She belonged to her father and her father alone. Nobody else deserved a piece of her.

Seeing her sister stomped her way back into her room, Astoria giggled. It was time to spring the trap. She brought him into her room, making the first step into seducing him.

With a sweet tongue, Malfoy was brought into a state of drunkenness, revealing every single plan he had of his sister. Little did he know that Daphne was right beside them, listening to their conversation and hidden behind a wall.

Letting Daphne learn of the plans by Draco would bring a wariness towards him. That would certainly push him to his boiling point when he could not have a taste of her sister. Desperate times call for desperate measures. A desperate Draco would use more overt tactics like a dog. When that happens, she would lead Harry into the room, attacking Draco and saving Daphne at the same time. This would certainly make the two much closer and her sister, a life oath towards him. From what her father told her, Daphne was the only girl currently Harry was interested in. Thus, a new relationship would definitely blossom from that, and once Harry fell in love with Daphne, her father would be there to pull him into the family, stripping him off his wealth and power before kicking him away and having Daphne all to himself.

At the same time, Astoria would be there as a witness to the act of Draco trying to rape Daphne. It would act as a great blackmail material for her father to gain even more power and favour from the Ancient House of Malfoy. All that was what her father told her of. The elaborate plan was totally ingenious in simplicity itself. Now all that was left to do would be to wait for it to happen.

* * *

"How are you Lucius? Is your Business going well?" Cyrus asked. The two Lords were in his study room, discussing matters that should be kept between them alone.

Lucius returned a smirk. "As well as it can be. What about you?"

"It's booming. Ever since the fall of the Dark Lord, more companies outside Britain began trusting our economy once again. Hopefully, it stays that way."

"You know as well as I do that the Dark Lord is not dead yet. He'll be coming back soon." Lucius declared, moving up his sleeve to show the dark mark underneath it. It was dormant, unmoving, yet the presence itself gave proof that Voldemort is bidding his time before returning to its glory once again.

Cyrus gave a sigh. "One could always hope isn't it? As much as I would like to follow his conquest into purifying the world, you and I both know that it isn't in our nature to follow. We crave for power and to be the alpha males instead."

"Saying those things could get you killed. As much as it pains me to say, we'll have to start preparing ourselves for his return. How's Annabel doing? I last heard from Cissy that she's still an empty shell, void of any emotions and feelings."

"That woman is an annoyance in my existence. Why did father ever written a marriage contract with such an impotent woman I'll never know… She's now considered a house elf to our household. At least you got a son in your stead to pass down your mantle to."

Lucius chuckled at his fortune. "Nevertheless, at least she gave birth to two girls. Both of them are as beautiful as Anna aren't they? Glad that you decided to form a marriage contract between your youngest and Draco. Merlin knows who he might hook up with if I were to let him go scot free without any restrictions."

"Better tell him to control his hormones then. I wouldn't want Tori to taste the forbidden apple before she reached maturity."

"Don't you worry about that. I wouldn't want the contract to cease from such acts. It would bring shame to our family if he did not even have an ounce of self-control."

Cyrus nodded. "Any news on the heir of Longbottom and Potter? I last heard that they had not formed any alliance like the past few generations."

Lucius gave a wicked smile. "Indeed, my source can testify to what yours said. Longbottom is as usual in the spotlight with the golden trio, the Weasley and the mudblood. He has somehow gained confidence over the year. As for Potter, he's in Slytherin. Yet from Draco, I heard that he is just an average wizard, nothing special at all. Apparently, he's close to your eldest."

"That is true. I've been telling Daphne to bring him into our house. With the Potter on our side, enamoured with Daphne, it's only a matter of time before we suck him dry of his money, power and influence. After that, he can be discarded."

The two men smirked. "You are one conniving person Cyrus, as you should be to reach such an influential position."

"Thank you for your flattery. Likewise for you as well."

"Anyway, just to inform you, tell your girls to be careful this coming Hogwarts year. I'm planning something big to oust..."

Before he could complete that sentence, the door barged open and in came Daphne walking towards the two men. From her gait, she could be seen to be extremely frustrated about the current happening, though her face showed no emotions at all.

"Father, can I talk to you for a second?" She asked in a cool voice that demanded attention to it.

"Daphne. What did I say about entering my room without my permission? Can't you see that I'm having a talk of business with Lord Malfoy over here?" Cyrus replied with an equal tone, not showing any anger in it. Though hidden within those words promised a world of punishment and pain as a consequence from Daphne's actions.

"I'm sure Lord Malfoy has better things to take care of. For instance, he needs to protect the chastity of dear Astoria at a young age of eleven and years before the marriage could take place from Heir Malfoy."

Lucius raised an eye brow. "Is that so?" Although Daphne seemed to be quite impressive with her way with words and emotions in trying to talk to her father, Lucius is light-years ahead of her in the game of words. He had mastered in the art of communication and persuasion from years of hard work with applications in the ministry and various other places. But for now, he needed to take care of that young child of his. He would give in to her just for today. "Cyrus. I believe we are finished with what we have been talking on. Permission to go up to your daughter's room and collect the son of mine?"

"Granted. I'll inform you when it's time for dinner."

They both tipped their head downwards in a sign of respect before Lucius went out of the room, leaving both daughter and father alone.

"Speak." Cyrus stood up and broadened his shoulders. At a height of six feet, he towered over Daphne who was still in puberty. Rarely did he ever use this posture and stance to talk to his daughter but today after an interruption of his talks with Malfoy, he was furious with her lack of thoughts for his reputation. It was fortunate that Lucius was quite a close friend to him. He did not know what he might do to her should her action result in a loss of power on his side.

"Can I be excused from dinner? I..."

"Denied." Cyrus was looking down at Daphne, staring emotionlessly into her eyes. "Do you know what you have done is a boldness I've never seen before? Did I taught you the wrong thing or that you want a reminder of the lessons once again?"

"But father..."

"And that boldness of yours can actually create a prominent loss of respect others have for me if they see that I could not even teach my daughter well enough to respect her elders."

"You see..."

"You are lucky that it's Malfoy I'm talking to. You are really fortunate that your actions had not really create a disastrous effect on my position in society..."

Daphne kept mum after that. She knew that it was a tactic used by her father to instil frustration in his opponents. He would cut her speech every time when she began. To an average person, it would certainly affect him. But to her, she had known of the use of such tactics long before when she was still learning from the 'master'. She knew the way against it was to just wait until he had no words to say. That was the moment she could finally start with her counter-argument and threats to get what she wanted.

When the time came, Daphne chose her words carefully with the thought of what she heard from just before in the room as an evidence. "Draco Malfoy is eying me like I'm a piece of meat. Do you want to lose the contract between Astoria and him just because of my presence during dinner? Would you want your precious Astoria to lose her face and her future by being thrown aside for another woman?"

Her father place a hand on his chin. "Now you see this, whatever the heir of Malfoy is planning to do to you, it's all in your imaginations. Lord Malfoy is here as well, overseeing every actions done by him. Do you think he is not vain enough to ensure nothing goes wrong? He judges reputation and images to be as important as I do, and that is why YOU will not be going anywhere else. If my heiress can't even attend a simple dinner, how would the rest of society think of the house?"

Daphne's emotions began leaking from her cool self. Apparently, she was really frustrated from the entire affair. Now, the desperation of wanting and needing to escape from the dinner appears. "My very presence during dinner will cause your standing to drop even more father. Do you think I could stay in control of my emotions were I to be there? If that Malfoy even stares at my body for one second, I'm going to gouge out his eyes. And you know that will certainly happen."

"And? Do you think you can even overpower the rest of us? You'll just disgrace yourself in front of everyone."

Her face started to clench. "Then I'll curse and swear the Ancient House of Malfoy in your stead. As the heiress of the house, I'll make sure everyone knows of what you did to Astoria when she was young. Especially when it involves an act that is still much looked down upon by the entire society."

Cyrus stumbled. There was no way Daphne could ever remember about what had happened four years ago. He remembered clearly he had Obliviated that memory from her mind.

For Daphne, she actually did not know of what exactly happened. All she knew was a relationship occurring between her sister and her father that transcended the familial boundaries according to the sound she heard from the room. Adding two to two together, there was bound to be a start before in the past. She did not remember that she actually witness the very act between them but was Obliviated by her father. But being desperate brought her to new heights in her dare for gamble. Apparently, judging from what she saw was her father's reaction, it was a win for her.

Cyrus frowned. It was extremely vital for him to remove that memory from her mind. However, judging from the fact that he had actually used Obliviate on her so many times, this time could actually break her mind into insanity, and that was something he did not want. If somehow her eldest regained her memories, there was no way he could make her forget the same thing again. Mind and memory are very fickle subjects and thus the need for license in order to do so.

That was the reason for him letting Tori regain her primary personality as well since he knew her mind was already very fragile. Daphne was a replacement for Annabel and she would keep her as she was. Something other than Obliviate must be done still to ensure none of this came out. However, nothing could come to mind as of yet due to the abruptness of the entire event.

Sighing in despair, there was nothing he could do but to let her go. Still, a threat must be done for some damage control before the entire situation worsened. "Keep what you know to yourself. If I even hear of a word you mention it to your friend, you'll know what will happen to you soon after. Remember, my eyes and ears are everywhere."

Inwardly, Daphne could not help but smile at the victory she had over him. Although there would likely be consequences for her actions, she did not care anymore. Memories of what she had heard would be the blackmail she needed and with luck, Harry would be somewhere near for her to pass those memories as an insurance in case her father decided to do anything to her mind.

After giving her father a respectful bow, she went off to Tracey's home using the floo network.

The moment she landed at her residence, she was greeted by her best friend's mother. She was in shock due to the unsounded arrival of Daphne.

"Daphne! I didn't know you were coming! Tracey didn't tell me anything about that!"

Giving a smile. "It's alright. I had not told her that I was coming after all. Sorry for the abrupt arrival but I need to get away from my home."

Tracey's mother in turn gave back a motherly smile, bringing some warmth to Daphne. "Dear, there's no need to apologise! You're family to us! I assume you'll be staying for dinner?"

Daphne gave a nod.

"Alright. Tracey's in her bedroom." She ended the conversation and went off to the kitchen in preparation for the addition of food needed.

Daphne gave a grin as she shot off up the stairs to her best friend's bedroom. It felt refreshing to be away from the hell hole known as Greengrass estate. Here, she felt more at ease and more at home than ever.

A surprise announcement would be awesome. Slowly tip-toeing her way to minimise the noise made by her food steps, she took a peek into her room to find Tracey at her desk, giggling away while reading a book.

_'Tracey reading...?'_ That action was akin to Malfoy not being a git. Well anyway, Daphne was still going to have some fun scaring the hell out of her best friend. Fun and entertainment certainly would bring her mind away from all those depressive thoughts.

Taking out her wand, she cast a silencing charm over the area before levitating a Teddy Bear so that it was sitting on the top of Tracey's back rest. After that was done, Daphne started with a mild tickling charm on Tracey's neck.

Her reaction was hilarious. While one hand was still on the book, the other went to scratch the back of her neck, wondering what was making that ticklish feeling.

"Mom, stop it. Can't you see that I'm reading?"

It kept continuing for a few times before Tracey had enough of it. Shutting her book, she looked backwards to give a peace of her mind to the playful mother she had.

"Mom! Y... Y-you...?" she stumbled out. Her eyes and mouth were opened in puzzlement. "How did Mister Cuddly walk over here...?"

Stifling her laughter, Daphne decided to play more tricks after Tracey turned back to her book. Casting an animation spell, she made 'Mister Cuddly' wave its hand at Tracey. From her viewpoint, Daphne could see the look on her face. From puzzlement, it actually turned white like she saw a ghost.

"G-g-ghost...? Who are you! Get out of my teddy you evil spirit!" Tracey screamed out at the bear before throwing it away.

Just then, Daphne decided to levitate it such that the bear jumped onto Tracey's face from a distance away, earning a scream from her. Daphne laughed like she had never before, not caring that her cover would be blown since her purpose here was to find Tracey anyway. Yet her expression was priceless. If only she had something to take down that particular scene as a blackmail material. Maybe somehow, she could imprint her memory onto a piece of paper.

Tracey turned towards the door once she heard the girly laughter outside her room. Knowing that she had just been pranked, she crossed her arms and went towards the perpetrator, ready to show her that she was not to be crossed. Imagine when it was actually Daphne there right outside the door. All thoughts of revenge dissipated.

"Daphne!" Tracey shouted out and went to hug her best friend.

"Hello Tracey. How's Mister Cuddly playing with you?" Daphne teased her.

"You meanie! Unlike you, I don't have a Mister Potter to cuddle."

Daphne faced another direction, trying to hide her blush. They chatted for a while more in the room before Daphne decided to tell her of the recent discoveries. Even though her father had warned and threatened her not to tell anybody about it, she did not care. If her life was endangered, at least someone else knew of what he actually did and that would bring justice to her father. That was more than enough for her to trade it with whatever her father threatened her with.

She explained how she had followed Astoria into the study-room, overhearing things that were meant not to be heard. Tracey knew of how Daphne's mother was being treated like a slave from her father. But today, she knew that apparently Astoria was treating her mother with an equal treatment. Tracey agreed with Daphne that Astoria was definitely not under the influence of a potion since she did have consciousness in her eyes. She trusted Daphne to be a good judge on expressions and emotions.

But when it came to the incestuous relationship between her sister and her father, Tracey was aghast. Daphne told her best friend of what she anticipated was the reason for why Astoria hated her. It all felt logical but wrong. Wrong in the sense of morality and not improbability of the situation.

Then Daphne told Tracey she had sent a letter to Harry, yet he did not reply her. That single moment was a big blow to her feelings.

"Ah! Now that you said that. Give me a moment." Tracey stood up from her bed and rummaged through her drawers. It was a total mess with papers all thrown inside.

"Have anyone ever told you that..."

"Yes mom. You told me plenty of times before." Tracey rolled her eyes while still searching for something. A moment later, on her hand was a letter addressed to Daphne but was sent to Tracey.

"Ta-dah! A letter Harry sent to me but asked me to keep it. I was wondering why he wanted me to wait until the day you come to my house though but now that you told me about what happened in your house with your family, I understand fully all the secrecy needed."

To Daphne, today was the single happiest moment during summer. Knowing that Harry actually responded to her encoded message with an equally prudent step to prevent her father from knowing what he wrote made her to be even more in awe about his ability to think ahead in time. But more than that was the want to hear from him. Moving towards Tracey, she was about to take the letter from her hand when Tracey moved the letter out of her way, earning an irritated sound from Daphne.

"Give that to me Trace!"

She grinned. "Nah-ah! I wonder what did he sent you. Is it a love letter pronouncing his love for you? Or maybe it's a picture of him! Maybe I should open it and read it before giving it to you~"

"NO! There's nothing like that in the letter! Just give it here!" Daphne was flushed with embarrassment from Tracey's words. It seemed that those books on romance made her mind even more colourful than ever. No wonder she was giggling just now.

"Oh wow! Daphne is sooo scared about me opening the love letter! All the more I'm going to do it!" Tracey laughed and slowly, she dramatically placed her hand on the wax and plucked it out, allowing her free reign to the letter inside. To her surprise, she felt someone knocking her onto the floor. It came so quick that she had not the time to dodge it. Groaning in pain from being knocked, her mental state was still somewhere else before the letter on her hand was snatched.

"Honey, did something..." Her mother came running to the room before she blushed at seeing the state of her daughter and Daphne was in. Apparently, Daphne was lying on top of Tracey with her two hands on a letter. Knowing about what exactly happened, Tracey's mother could not help but still tease them about it. After all, it was not every day you get to have fun with such a blackmail material.

With a grin, her mother took a camera out of nowhere and took a picture of the scene. "Dear, didn't know you two swing that way! But both of you look so cute!" she teased at them before walking off.

"MOM!"

"Tracey! Argh!" Daphne wanted to scream out her embarrassment at Tracey but looking at the letter clutched on her hand, her priority changed. With a smirk, she sat on top of her best friend as she tried squirming her way out.

"Get off me!" Tracey tried pushing Daphne off but to no avail. "You are so heavy!"

Daphne giggled, not caring one word from her best friend before opening her letter. Finally she had a reply from Harry. She was afraid the letter was intercepted by her father or that Harry could not care less but those were just her imaginations playing.

_Dear D,_

_I hope that this letter got to your hand without any interference from your father. Reading what you sent, I am immensely disturbed. The hidden message was done well and hopefully, I'm the only one who saw it. _

_In any case, I would not be placing any sensitive information within this letter. Having a piece of paper sent across unknown territories, the danger is too high for me to accept. _

_Anyway, I'm doing great. Hopefully you are as well when you are reading this letter. I sent it specifically to Tracey because I believe that you will be visiting her someway or another. I will be meeting you soon. Keep in touch. By then, you can tell me all the stuff and maybe somehow, I will have a solution for your problem._

_P.S. Do not send a reply. _

To say Daphne was happy would be an understatement. Clutching the letter close to herself, she felt that maybe her friend would finally be able to solve the whole mystery behind her family and give her the choices for her to make a decision. Harry was one of the most intuitive person she ever met. Trusting his words of meeting her soon, Daphne could finally put down her unease for the first time in days.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore had a huge headache. There were so many things to do yet so little time for him to complete the tasks. But what was forefront in his mind was of Neville Longbottom.

Using a Legilimency probe during the last visit, he saw the bravery this boy had as he faced the dangers of the traps set by the Professors. Yet Dumbledore could see the slight feeling of disgust the boy had towards Ron. He would have thought having spent so much time with the red-haired boy and climbing out of his father's shadow through an intended influence by the hot-headed Weasley, Neville would express gratitude for him and continue being best friends. Alas that was not to be.

The boy-who-lived had estranged himself from Ron, pushing him away. Dumbledore could see the workings of his grandma influencing his behaviour. That was part of the reason why he regretted not having the boy sent to a muggle family so that he would not be so rigid towards the pure blood traditions and of having a politician's mind. And that was part of the reason why he wanted to curse fate at pushing Voldemort towards marking Neville and not Harry as his equal.

Ron was pushed away for a few reasons. Firstly, Neville was disgusted with how his friend was so lazy and keep bugging him on letting him copy his work. The next reason was of the jealousy Ron had with Neville. Neville saw through the partial act of friendship between them for the sake of using him to climb up the ladder of fame. Lastly, it was because an ally between the two houses would bring no advantage for his own house. Those three reasons were enough to seal the fate between the two acquaintances. That would certainly disrupt the plan Dumbledore had for ensuring Neville was kept weak so that Dumbledore would not repeat the same mistake of introducing another Voldemort into society.

Somehow though, history might repeat itself again. Dumbledore realised that the Philosopher's stone was still in the mirror when Neville tried standing in front. Certainly, the charm was placed in such a way that only those who did not want to use it would get it. And so, that brought plenty of suspicion and a need for Dumbledore to change his entire plan so as to prevent the coming of the second dark lord after Voldemort. Worse still, if Voldemort somehow reincarnate himself into a new body, it could spell disaster for the rest of the world since two dark lords certainly would bring chaos to society.

As a result, ensuring Neville was weakened came to point as the top most priority he had. That was also the purpose he was in Leaky Cauldron today, meeting with this wizard in front of him who was currently aggravating his headache.

"I believe you have read my books headmaster Dumbledore! You could most certainly believe in my skills to teach the next generation of wizards. Braving through a year with yeti and killing those werewolves and vampires, you can certainly trust me to share those wonderful experiences with the students!"

Yes. Gilderoy Lockhart, the five-time winner for witch weekly's most charming smile award and Order of Merlin, third class as well as the biggest fraud ever. But he would do to ensure Neville was kept as weak as possible until he had everything sorted out. Plans must be followed until he could be certain of the fact Neville would be protecting the rest of the students with his life. That was what a hero does and that would be the role Neville had to fill for this impending war which Dumbledore could somehow feel that it would be the last for him.

For the greater good, he had to sacrifice the education of the rest of the students in order to ensure the continuation of peace, albeit forced, between the muggle born and the pure blood. That was to be done by ending the regime of the death eaters and Voldemort.

And thus, he hardened his already fragile heart from over a century of non-stop work just for this one last battle.

"You are hired. Please ensure you are in school on the first of September with all your belongings."

With a smile, Professor Lockhart as he is currently known now, gave a smile that would bring shame to no one but him. Who cared about a smile when the future of the world was at stake.

* * *

**A/N: On another note, I think I'm addicted to Naruto crossover FF. They are so interesting and the plot could go on more ways than possible without combining two different titles. I might even plan on creating a crossover as a sequel in the future.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: Right. After getting much reviews regarding the darkness of this chapter, thought I heed upon their opinions.**

**Warning: Dark scenes with mentions of rape ahead.**

* * *

Chapter 18

After a hard day at training, Harry was satisfied. He was sweaty and had bruises all over his body yet the aches and pain were the signals showing his improvement day by day. Mike was a very tough teacher in martial arts. He made it a point to push Harry to the maximum of his ability. Without any use of magic, Harry could not hope to win the match with his master with his current ability.

Initially, he began learning the basic stance that helped in reacting to all kinds of situations. There were two main classifications the stances could be named under and they were known as defensive and offensive manoeuvres. It was extremely dull and repetitive and yet he did not complain. Harry was the one who came to find Mike to teach him after all. It would be hypocritical of him if he did otherwise.

Day by day, the training regime upped in its intensity. He was taught the basic moves and counter-moves one could apply during a fight. It was once again repeated thousands of times in order to make it a habit and incorporate it into his muscle memories. That way, when it came down to a fight, Harry could react instinctively and not waste time thinking. That was the crux to winning a battle – to overwhelm the opponent whilst dodging and protecting your vital organs.

His master taught him to always play dirty. When it boiled down to saving his own life or another's, honour comes last. To win, you have to hit fast and quick. A simple jab to the eyes could disable him for the rest of the fight. An open palm strike to the throat could incapacitate his assailant. The kick to the ball worked in all kinds of situations so long the other party was a male.

When sparring with his master, Harry could barely last a few seconds before he was brought down onto the floor. Mike was to be respected seriously as a martial artist. Harry vowed to be as good as him some day. With dogged persistence, he trained day in and out. Every single day would be spend on basic katas and physical routines. Due to the past year of tough regime at Hogwarts, his body had been conditioned well enough to hit hard and defend well, as well as to last throughout the entire fight, albeit barely. Being in a fight and watching those action movies were two different matters indeed. Just a few minutes of staying on the toes, exerting strength in the punches and kicks whilst dodging and blocking sapped his entire stamina away.

Today was no different.

After yet another day with Mike, Harry bid his farewell before walking back to the Leaky Cauldron. He felt so much more confident ever since he could finally last a minute dodging and blocking the strikes from his master when he was being serious. That coupled with magic made him quite a formidable soon-to-be twelve years old opponent.

His magical sensing ability had improved as well to the point of differentiating a muggle from a wizard. That was the result of a better and stronger physique coupled with the 'month-ful' of unrestrained magic within his body.

Yes, unrestrained in the sense that he got rid of the runes. He found out the increment of his magical strength slowed down tremendously one day when he was meditating. Harry reckoned it to be akin to muscle stress. After all, keeping your muscles or magic in his case restrained for a full year would do more harm than good. Harry learned it the hard way which was through experiencing the unarguably painful moment after undoing the rune work.

His body was undergoing puberty now and thus, it would be better to just leave his magic alone as well. Magic growth was linked with the growth of body as well. After all, just like the yin-yang equilibrium, both must be kept in as good a condition as they could be in order to foster a healthy growth.

That was when Harry sensed something wrong when walking along the empty alley back to the main streets from his master's house. It was more of a general feeling he got than the magical sensing ability he had. A piercing scream broke through the quiet environment was more than enough in confirming his otherworldly senses.

Entering the dark dimension, he pinpointed the epicentre for where the scream originated from and shadow walked directly to that point. To his consternation, he saw three men assaulting a woman. They had apparently begun the raping session already before Harry reached. That scream released for help occurred due to a slip-off in attention as the men went through orgasmic pleasures. That was not enough for them however.

Anger coursed through his nervous system. Blood began pounding hard against his skin. Nobody should ever be used to do something against his or her will. Just like what Harry had faced years ago in school and at home, he was having a relapse of all those painful memories rushing through his brain at seeing the emotions displayed by the woman.

Pain, despair, hopelessness and anger were all displayed clearly in her eyes. Without a second later, Harry brought up HIS shadow, commandeered them to strangle the three men. All he saw was uncle Vernon right there hurting a little boy, namely himself. Yet something was wrong for he saw three apparitions of his uncle choking, crawling at their throats to escape from the asphyxiation by an unknown force.

The boy turned his head and looked at Harry. He saw fear in his eyes. Monster. Freak. Those were brought back into his memories once again after trying to cover them up through Occlumency. It seemed his mind was thoroughly raped once again by his own bout of emotions.

Slowly, the three Vernon began crumpling down into the floor at the same time. And the little boy came moving towards him. He had no clothes on and yet, he was without shame. That boy suddenly hugged Harry, asking him to stop whatever he was doing. Somehow or another, Harry had come out of his dimension without knowing it. Maybe he wanted the three men to know of his presence as they suffocated from his power. Harry however did not know why his younger self was asking him to stop his savour at vengeance. The boy began crying with his head on Harry's chest.

Looming downwards, he was perturbed by the intense emotions displayed. Harry had no idea he could even cry that hard and be so disturbed at his own self. But that was enough for his violent turbulence of emotions to calm down.

Blinking a few times, he saw that instead of his younger self, it was a woman in his arms instead. It seemed that he had a hallucination once again.

Sighing, Harry brought up his hand to push the woman away so he could face her. Even though she was naked, he felt nothing at all. He was a child still!

"Are you alright?"

Sniffing, the woman was able to steady herself to reply Harry. "Thank you... for what you've done... But... Please... Stop torturing them..."

Harry frowned. Digging into his memories once again, he saw the truth. The cold hard truth of who he was minutes ago. He was actually smiling and enjoying at the pained and soundless cries for help by the three men. This was the first time his hallucination went that bad. And had he just killed the three in cold blood...?

"No..." Harry took a step back, causing the woman to look at him in puzzlement. "No... Please tell me I didn't kill them..."

The woman shook her head. "Child, I don't know what you did but they are still alive."

Harry stared at her for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. Indeed he could see movements by the men. He was stopped in time by her before he could actually kill them for raping her. Murdering someone was still frowned upon even if that target did something wrong. You do not move to their level to justify your means.

Harry closed his eyes once again to calm himself down. He had no idea why his emotions turned violent once again. The last time he had it was a few years ago...

Just then, a piercing sound was heard, followed by a scream and a thud. Opening his eyes, he saw the woman on the ground. Right on her back was a knife and a man grinning at him. Blood began forming on her back, held back only by the knife.

It was at that moment Harry raged the second time of the day. Without giving a second thought, flames formed on both his hands. Savouring the look of fear for a few seconds, he shot the two balls at him and his fellow accomplices.

Their screams were music to his ears. Their pain was his joy. Their death was justice being served. But for now, he needed to cut short his sadistic self to save the woman. Without her, he might have gone out of control just now. She did not deserve to die due to bad luck.

Taking out a wand, Harry began casting whatever basic healing spells he knew to save her. She was a pure soul who frowned upon killing. Most likely, she was an avid religious person. It would be a pity for her to die.

Yet try as he might, he could see her life slipping further away from him. Her pulse began slowing down. Harry began more distraught as that happened. He wanted her to be saved and not die as a result of his actions. Somehow, maybe in another world, she might survive from the assault were he not present. Without him, the three assailants might just walk away after having their fun. But now, due to his actions of suffocating them, the woman was paying with her life.

He pushed his entire magic into one final spell, wishing for her not to pass away just because she was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

It was all for naught. The last breath came and passed in the blink of an eye.

Tears streamed down his eyes for the first time in so many years. Harry had broken his vow to stop crying.

"No... NO!" He shouted out, not caring if there were anybody nearby. He blamed himself for having a relapse at the wrong time. He blamed the woman for stopping him from killing those men and as a result, causing her to die. He blamed himself for being so weak and to break down before the fight, during the fight and after the fight.

History has always told of people who crave for power to kill and to destroy. It is human nature to triumph over everyone else so that his voice, his image and his actions could be seen by the world. Recognition by the masses and the illusion of control is inbuilt in them, and thus come the need to stand above all others. Since the capacity of how powerful a human is normally measured by his survivability rate, it is the destructive power that exceeds the needs of creation.

And Harry had fallen into the same folly by many others.

Before he even found out anything about Hogwarts, he had misused his powers. Having nobody to measure it against, and neither did anyone know of the shadow affinity he had, he began using it to kill those bullies and evil men in a bid to satisfy his thirst for power and vengeance felt from being cooped up with his relatives.

He had continued with whatever he was doing for quite some time before stopping all of a sudden due to the looks of those he saved. They were of disgust, fear and disapproval. For the first time in that day, Harry realised his own actions were wrong. He had no right to play judge, jury and executioner against these people, punishing them for their actions. For a while, he had nightmares and hallucinations over what he did to these people. He only wanted no one else to suffer the fate as him. Thus, that was when he decided to stop and leave these people as they were, closing himself from the rest of the world.

But as always, fate loved to play on Harry himself. Once again, that connection to the dark side sparked alive from visiting Ollivanders' when Harry himself obtained an extremely powerful dark wand. Dark spells are normally associated with Destructiveness and as a result, Harry had that burning need to rise above the masses with his abilities.

Yet today, for the first time, he regretted in his belief of the need to gather power. This was the first time he tried saving a person's life and he failed. She was in the crossfire of Harry's fervent need to satisfy his craze for vengeance.

And once again, tonight proved how right those saved by him was right. His inner dark-self had come out to play once again.

Lessons were to be learned from this single occasion and it will certainly change his life. Not everything could be controlled by him, especially that of somebody's life. He was gifted by the Midnight Phoenix the power of shadow and fire, and yet both were associated with death instead of life.

Shaking his head, Harry could do nothing but to accept his fate. He was born to destroy, to kill and to survive.

In the quiet environment, a soft sound was heard. It became recognisable soon as seconds past. The siren of the police, and the time for Harry to leave.

Closing his eyes, he wished the woman good luck and hoped that she would have a better after-life. The moment the police came running into the alley and the site of crime, the place was void of life once again. A woman filled in her own pool of blood with three charred remains of unknown objects were all that was left there.

But something unnatural remained at that place. The entire alley was covered by shadow even though the sun was directly above. Not that the police were complaining.

* * *

"Welcome home, Heiress of the House of Greengrass. Welcome to my humble abode. Please make yourself comfortable."

Daphne was called to her father's study room the moment she exited from the floo network after a visit to Tracey's home. It had been a roller coaster ride as her emotions were played totally by extenuating circumstances surrounding her. Harry's letter was a godsend. The moment she found out that Harry would be seeing her before summer's end, she could feel euphoria spreading through her entire mind, clouding and numbing the pain her family brought on her.

But after a night's of comfortable and warm sleep, Daphne's lasting euphoria had worn off. Now, all she knew was a gut-wrenching dread that could be said to be contagious for it had actually turned the short-termed happiness into fear. It was time to face the fear in its most ugly and prominent self – her father reprimanding and punishing her for what she did to earn that short respite and the knowledge that Harry was planning something.

The way Cyrus welcomed her home foreshadowed a terrifying doom coming soon. How did he know that she did not feel at ease here? But it was a rhetorical question of course. With the way she acted, threatening to disclose the incestuous relation between her father and her sister, a minor, even an autistic personnel could reason out her feelings towards the House of Greengrass.

Yet there was little that could be done now. If anyone asked if she regretted what she did, Daphne's answer would be a resounding no. Facing Malfoy, especially when it was the entire family would damn her even worse than what her father would do to her. Worse come to worse, she would just disown herself from her family name, albeit it could bring the entire Wizarding world against her for she threw away her pure-blood lineage in search for happiness.

But who could blame her for it?

With a passive expression, Daphne took a seat right in front of her father's desk, with him looking down upon her condescendingly. It was the work of a mad man, a genius regardless, to change the environment in a bid to empower himself. His seat was made higher and with a pinch of grandeur. The entire room was very much bigger than a living room with shelves all surrounding Daphne. If she was to reckon, it would be kind of like having her father enclosing her in a way to tell her that no matter what she did, there was no escape from his rule.

"Now that we are seated, it's time to begin with what should be done. Regrettably, lord Malfoy himself told me that it was a pity the heiress of my house could not make herself present for such a grand occasion. The underlying meaning of that? You brought shame to me. Daphne Greengrass, tell me, are you happy?"

A defiant look began creeping on her face. Daphne would not let her father have his pick on her. Even if he was her father, it did not mean that she accepted him as family. Family loves each other and cares for one another, unlike anything he ever did to her.

"Yes. I'm very much happy. Thank you for ..."

"SILENCE!" A resounding shout reverberated around the entire room. So it appeared to be made in a way to empower the user and it worked. Daphne was brought down by the overpowering presence her father was currently. This was the first time she saw how angry he was at her and she knew better than to speak. The only way to escape from his trap would be to outwit him in his game.

"Good. Now as I said, you will be punished accordingly to what I feel you should be. This is my house and you, as my daughter, is under my charge. My word is law here. And you would be damned to hell for making me a mockery in front of my ally and one who knows very much the opportunity you had brought to give him even more power."

_'But...?_' Daphne could feel something amiss and she had an impression of what it was.

"But as I said before, you... are still my blood and as much as I want to condemn your entire life, I would not do so."

_'Bingo!'_ Daphne rolled her eyes internally. _'Of all the blasted things... He just have to say that.'_

"And for that, I will be doing this. You look very much like your mother. Actions, personality and looks... It's such a pity she could not bring me an heir for the house. I wouldn't turn to such a man if only she gave me what I want."

That statement was the breaking point. She could not hold it inside anymore. That seed of fear creeping inside her had taken root, blossoming into a rose, with thorns. And what was worse would be that the rose was alive, gnawing at her heart and taking control of her mind. She was bleeding. The wounds were opened and the truth had finally come to light.

Her father needed her.

Her father wanted her.

And she, Daphne Greengrass would become the replacement for Annabel Greengrass.

The only thing she had now was time.

Yet it all fell apart when the next thing she knew was a wand pointing right at her face.

"_Legilimens_!"

And all her virgin memories were raped by her father.

* * *

**A/N: Well, to tell you all the truth, I find it weird as well for a crossover fiction to occur between HP and Naruto, I mean in my opinion, those two just could not really mix well. Naruto will definitely be a god in the world of magic especially when he could be moving at I dunno... Some godlike speed? Especially when you include Hirashin into the mix. Urgh... Terrible outcome.**

**But that will be just a food for thought. Meanwhile, I will just be continuing this story. It is time for the plot to pick up speed. So, all the subsequent chapters will more or less be concentrated in that. **

**On another note, I will be planning to diverge my entire story from Canon. Canon is too boring, so do not expect the same thing to happen like Ginny getting the book etc. with Harry or Neville getting the Sword of Gryffindor, stabbing the Basilisk under the roof of its mouth.**

**And an afterthought from seeing those reviews, Daphne was not raped. It's just a manner of speech saying that her newer memories were being seen by her father. SO... don't think too much of it. And She will be leaving the house in the next chapter.**


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